In the wake of his high-profile move to Arsenal, Declan Rice has uncovered a surprising camaraderie with Leandro Trossard, providing an intriguing peek into the Gunners’ dressing room.

• Declan Rice surprisingly names Leandro Trossard as his favourite teammate at Arsenal.
• Rice and Trossard, both recent recruits, have formed a robust bond on and off the field at Arsenal.
• Declan Rice is slated to make his competitive debut for Arsenal in the forthcoming Community Shield against Manchester City.

In a recent interview, Declan Rice, the new Arsenal midfielder, surprisingly named Leandro Trossard as his favourite teammate.

The revelation of this unusual friendship offers a unique insight into the relationships within the Arsenal squad.

Rice joined Arsenal in a £105 million transfer from West Ham earlier this month. Since his arrival, he’s featured in two pre-season friendlies under Mikel Arteta’s management.

This included a 5-0 victory over the MLS All-Stars and a defeat to Manchester United, where Rice was part of the starting 11. He missed out on the 5-3 win over Barcelona due to a small injury.

The 24-year-old player quickly began forming bonds with his Arsenal teammates off the pitch. However, it’s the camaraderie with ex-Brighton man Trossard, a relatively new addition to the squad himself, that’s drawn particular attention.

In Rice’s own words during the Sky Sports interview he was asked about his favourite teammate. “You know what? I think from the first day when I was there, Leandro Trossard,” Rice answered.

“You wouldn’t put us two together, I would say, but he’s a really, really top guy. I sat next to him on the plane. I’ve been with him here quite a lot. He’s just an all-round top person.”

With his focus now at Arsenal, Rice is set to make his competitive debut next Sunday in the Community Shield against Manchester City.

The match will prelude the beginning of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign at home to Nottingham Forest on August 12.

Optimistically looking at the season ahead, Rice stated, “I don’t think we are far off [silverware] at all. Obviously this year there’s going to be pressure on us to win and I think we want that pressure, that’s why we play football.

“You want to win trophies, you want to compete at the highest level and all the lads are really motivated and driven and that comes from the manager. It’s really exciting.”

With Rice settling into the Arsenal family and his eager anticipation for the competitive season, it’ll be intriguing to follow the player’s journey and see how his bonds within the team continue to evolve.