Declan Rice’s transfer plea has been granted by Arsenal after Mikel Arteta decided to act

Declan Rice's desire for Arsenal to be active in the summer transfer window was fulfilled by the club.

The Gunners delivered in spectacular fashion after splashing out approximately £250million on fresh signings over the past few months, after completing a fifth consecutive campaign without securing any major silverware. Mikel Arteta claimed the FA Cup during his inaugural season in charge, just months after arriving at the Emirates, but he has failed to expand his trophy collection since that triumph.

Last season saw Arsenal advance to the semi-finals of both the Champions League and League Cup, while also securing second place in the Premier League for a third successive year. Following two seasons in north London, Rice expressed his conviction that investment was required in the transfer market.

Speaking shortly after Arsenal's exit from the Champions League at the hands of PSG in May, Rice said: "Hopefully, we strengthen in the summer, sign more players because we are probably gonna lose a few as well.

"We are gonna come back next year and be ready, be stronger and even more hungry to win something for this club. That's what we all want," reports the Mirror.

Owner Stan Kroenke responded by supporting Arteta's blueprint with substantial expenditure this summer. That spending spree featured the acquisitions of Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi for a combined initial cost of approximately £170m.

Chelsea's Noni Madueke was secured for an upfront fee of £48.5m, while Cristhian Mosquera joined from Villarreal for a more modest initial cost of £13m. Christian Norgaard, a £10m acquisition from Brentford, and Piero Hincapie, who joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen with an option to make the move permanent for £45m, were also added to the roster.

As predicted by Rice, departures were also part of the reshuffle, with Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu all being released. Only Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos and Albert Sambi Lokonga were sold permanently, but their combined sales only brought in a paltry sum of around £10m.

Arteta decided not to retain players such as Jakub Kiwior, Reiss Nelson, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira, who were deemed surplus to requirements. Each of them left the club on season-long loan deals, with some facing brighter prospects upon their return to north London than others.

Gyokeres and Zubimendi have already established themselves in the new Arsenal XI, starting every Premier League match for the club this season. Madueke has also entered the manager's plans, starting their last two matches, while 15-year-old prodigy Max Dowman is the latest talent with first-team potential to emerge from Arsenal's production line.

That's not to forget £60m man Eze, who made his Arsenal debut in the recent 1-0 loss at Liverpool. It means that about half of the team has changed since the end of last season, with the defence being the only area that hasn't seen much in terms of action.

The Gunners have already fallen behind in the league title race after that narrow defeat at Anfield before the international break. However, Arteta will be hoping to further integrate his new squad when Arsenal return to action against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

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