Saka: Why Rice Refused to Watch Bournemouth vs. Man City

While most of the Arsenal squad watched the match together at the London Colney training ground, Rice could not cope with the pressure.

Saka joked about the intensity of the walk, saying, “This guy must have done about 12 laps of the training ground. We were all watching it on TV. He couldn’t watch it. It was hilarious.”

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In a conversation with the club’s website, Rice explained that he only re‑entered the stadium when he heard the roar of the goals, ultimately witnessing the final whistle that confirmed Arsenal as champions.

“I took the security guard, Pete, for the first 40 minutes we walked every pitch possible. We were just chatting about the most random stuff,” Rice said.
“And then we hear the roar, so we come back in for the first goal. I was like, same again. And then on the way I was like, ‘I’m telling everyone, sit back in the same spot and all this.’ And then literally come back in five minutes to go, and it was done, but I just couldn’t watch it.”
“Incredible. Just saying and feeling that we’re champions, it’s all we’ve wanted. It’s nice! It’s been a dream. It’s everything I expected and more.”
“After Manchester City defeat I believed because there was still five games to go. We started to be a bit more free in our game and play a bit better. It was a strong message and it has paid off.”

Saka also praised both Rice and manager Mikel Arteta, crediting them with transforming Arsenal during his time in charge.

“The faith he’s put in me since the start and how he’s transformed this club. Not everyone knows but we see it every day, how hard he works, how much he wants this,” Saka told Sky Sports.