Man City get clear message from Arsenal after Declan Rice battle

Whether you believe that Manchester City pulled out because they didn't value Declan Rice that highly or because they believed the player would not pick them, Arsenal won the battle.

Arsenal wanted to sign Rice as part of their summer plans to put together an even better challenge for the Premier League title, and not even the actions of the champions could stop them. The West Ham skipper is set to be part of a £200m splurge from North London intended to take Mikel Arteta and his team to the next level.

That business should be enough for Pep Guardiola to know that Arsenal must be taken extremely seriously this season even before a friendly ball has been kicked. Others may doubt if the Gunners can maintain their position challenging for the title when Liverpool come back fighting, yet City will not be taken by surprise by Arsenal.

Guardiola of course has more faith in Arteta than most given their close friendship and previous working relationship, and also knew what kinds of players City were selling them when Gabriel Jesus and Alex Zinchenko headed to the capital. There was also an interest taken in Arsenal's pre-season last year that included a 4-0 win over Chelsea.

Also read: Why Man City pursuit of Ilkay Gundogan replacement is not straightforward

However, not even the most optimistic Gooner could have predicted Arsenal would get 50 points from their first 19 games and be on track for 100 points for much of the season. That is a benchmark that only elite teams set - and even then not that often - and there had been no signs that Arsenal would have been able to leap so far so quickly.

City ultimately showed why they have become the best team in world football under Guardiola as they were on course for 52 points