BREAKING NEWS: Arsene Wenger Predicts 2023/2024 Premier League Champion

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his old club will win the coming Premier League campaign after winning the race for Declan Rice.

The Gunners broke their transfer record to sign Rice from West Ham for an initial £100million, with another £5m to potentially follow in add-ons. It makes the England midfielder just the eighth footballer to be bought for nine figures, representing a fresh departure from Arsenal’s former spending habits.

But Wenger – who ended his 22-year spell at the club in 2018 – thinks Rice is still a valuable signing at that price and is expecting his signature won’t take long to start paying off.

“I think it is a good investment,” he told Eurosport while attending the Tour de France. “Overall, personally I think they have made good buys as they are players who are now mature, 23, 24, and still young so can stay together for a few years.

“They will be under more pressure after last year, but they have learned a lot and they can show they can deal with that pressure now. I had to cope with no money at all, so you have to find a different way.

“Arsenal is now in a good financial situation and bought what they think will win the championship. I believe we will win the championship, it is as simple as that. I have less doubts for Arsenal than the cycling today.”

If only those at the Emirates Stadium were so full of confidence after leading the Premier League for so much of last season, only to fall late in the campaign as Manchester City completed a historic treble.

That being said, Mikel Arteta has been hard at work this summer attempting to close the gap on Pep Guardiola’s kings of Europe. The Gunners also concluded a £65m deal to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea, while right-back Jurrien Timber has arrived from Ajax for around £38.5m.

Wenger, 73, was at Arsenal’s helm the last time the club tasted Premier League silverware in 2004, when the team went unbeaten across all 38 games. Mimicking that feat in the present day is almost unthinkable, but many would agree Rice gets them closer to making such dreams a reality.

The former Hammer was key to David Moyes’ side lifting the Europa Conference League crown this year, with Gunners hoping he can inject more title-winning influence in north London.

As for what Wenger was doing following the Tour de France in such close proximity, the Frenchman couldn’t pass the opportunity to closely assess one of sport’s most gruelling competitions

The ex-Gunners chief explained: “I’m a close friend of [Tour de France director] Christian Prudhomme, he invited me here, and I want to see if it’s like the dressing room of a football team! I want to see how the race is working from the inside, and I’ve been given the opportunity and I don’t want to miss it.”