Declan Rice Signing: Arsenal Looking to Topple Manchester City by All Means

After going head-to-head with Manchester City for the Premier League title for several years, Liverpool shockingly failed to mount any title challenge last season. Erik Ten Hag made a push with Manchester United and ended up capturing the League Cup and reaching the FA Cup final. But the Dutchman could be forgiven for failing to challenge for the title as he just started a new project at Old Trafford.

The instability following the change of ownership at Stamford Bridge severely affected Chelsea, while Tottenham did what they do best - disappoint. It was Arsenal that then stepped up to challenge Manchester City for the title last season.

Except for the fact that several teams like Brighton, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Fulham shocked even themselves with extraordinary performances, Arsenal would have won the accolade as the surprise team of the season.

Yet both Mikel Arteta and Arsenal performed beyond most people's expectations. Having come close to winning the league title only to fall away at the tail end of the campaign, both manager and club are thinking bigger this time around.

Manchester City have been accused of using money to buy titles by signing some of the best players in the world, with huge sums of money. Although the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and more recently Chelsea have shown that achieving success is not a matter just how much you spend, the notion that spending big amounts automatically brings success is now well established in the minds of football followers.

It's not surprising then that Arsenal have been at war with Manchester City in the transfer market this time around. The two sides went head-to-head in the fight to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United. City are reported to have dropped out of the race as they are not willing to meet West Ham's demands of over £100m for the midfielder.

But Arsenal are set to sign the England international as if to prove something to everyone. Mikel Arteta has gone on record to state how painful it has been for him to have lost the league title to Manchester City last season. It does seem like the Arsenal gaffer is now seriously plotting to dethrone Manchester City next term.

Signing Declan Rice is clearly a desperate attempt to go one better next season. For a club that is not used to making big money signings, they are ready to go against their DNA if that is what it would take to topple Manchester City.

When the deal gets finalised, Rice will become the most expensive British signing of all time taking over the title from Manchester City's Jack Grealish. This is meant to be a statement signing to prove that Arsenal can go head-to-head with City and even beat them as has been the case in the transfer market.

Arteta is doing everything possible to make that happen. He's trying every trick in the book from copying Guardiola's tactics to even poaching some of Guardiola's talents like Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Having come close to the success last time, he is hoping to get the job done in the coming campaign.