RAY PARLOUR: Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber MUST help Arsenal end a 20-year wait for a Premier League title

Declan Rice and my old Invincibles midfield teammate Edu could both play a huge role in ending Arsenal’s 20-year wait for a Premier League title.

After being lucky enough to spend quality time with them on the US pre-season tour, I left with a very good feeling about my old club’s chances.

I expect Arsenal to fight for the title again. With three good signings so far in Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber, Arsenal should be able to challenge City for the title once again.

The lads looked very sharp and I suspect from what I saw today we will see a really competitive game in the Community Shield against Manchester City.

I’ve played a few over the years and you want to get one over your rivals. Trust me, it’s not friendly. It’s going to be quite a game and I think after a draw in 90 minutes it will go to extra time. There isn’t much between the sides and Arsenal may have more motivation to win, but you can never write off the treble winners.

Kai Havertz (pictured) also joined the club for a fee of £65 million and played in five of Arsenal’s pre-season friendlies.

Jurrien Timber (pictured) has also recently joined the football club and was also seen during Arsenal’s pre-season campaign

Pre-season form can give you an indication of how things are developing, but of course the biggest game ahead is the opening day of the Premier League against Nottingham Forest this Saturday. Mikel Arteta has a plan, he sticks to it and by the first game they should be ready to go.

A big part of that plan, of course, has to do with signing the plates, Rice. He has all the physical and technical attributes of a top Arsenal player, but I spoke to him on tour and was lucky enough to get an insight into his mentality.

That convinced me that he can handle the £105 million price tag and the demands of an Arsenal player under pressure to compete for honours.

Declan knows the pressure is on and is looking forward to getting started now. It’s a very young team, he knows a few from England, that will help.

He’ll be ready to go, he’s an excellent signing and as important as skill is, you have to look at characters. Rice is a leader: he was the captain of West Ham.

Arsenal have been on tour in the US, recently winning against Monaco and also beating LaLiga champions Barcelona 5-3

Sporting director Edu (right) has helped Arsenal sign new and exciting signings this summer

Mikel Arteta (left) stayed behind at Manchester City last season and hopes his side can do better than Pep Guardiola’s (right) in the coming season.

I also like what Havertz and Timber will bring. Much credit for these pioneering signings goes to my old teammate Edu, who is now working wonders as sporting director.

He has many contacts all over the world and he knows what you need to be successful. I talk to Edu often and while he can’t give too much away, I know he wants to get three or four players out. But they’re all under contract, so he’s working hard on that, aiming to bring in a few more.

These are exciting times now for Arsenal. The team depth is much better, so they now have a good chance to push City and anyone else to the top of the table so we can go one step further this season.

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