Declan Rice has scooped the BBC Sport Premier League Player of the Year award for his starring role in helping Arsenal win the title last term.
The midfielder was instrumental as Mikel Arteta’s men ended a 22-year wait for Premier League glory as they finished seven points above reigning champions Manchester City.
Arsenal broke the bank to sign him from West Ham last summer in a club-record £105million deal, and he proved to be a transformative addition – the 27-year-old has earned rave reviews throughout the campaign, especially in key games en route to lifting the trophy.
It comes after a second-place finish behind Bruno Fernandes in both the Premier League Player of the Season and Football Writers’ Association awards. Mikel Arteta was also on the winning end, named as the BBC Premier League Manager of the Year.
Rice is now looking to the Champions League final, where Arsenal are attempting to win the competition for the first time. He said he was a ‘big-game player’ and claimed the Gunners would meet the challenge.
