Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hopeful that Declan Rice will be welcomed back to the London Stadium with open arms when the Gunners meet West Ham United in Wednesday's EFL Cup fourth-round clash.
The former Hammers captain led David Moyes's side to Europa Conference League glory in the 2022-23 season, although he made no secret about his desire to compete in the Champions League earlier in the campaign.
West Ham managed to rebuff interest in the midfielder for a few years, but with his contract due to expire in the summer of 2024 - albeit with the option of a further 12 months - the Irons resigned themselves to losing him this time around.
Despite previous links with Manchester United and former club Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City went head-to-head for Rice's signature, and despite initial disagreements over the payment structure, the Gunners ultimately secured a British-record £105m transaction.
Since swapping West Ham for the Emirates, the 24-year-old has continued to deliver week in week out for Arteta, starting all 14 of their games in 2023-24 so far and coming up with two goals and two assists.
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Wednesday's match will see Rice reunite with West Ham for the first time since his nine-figure departure, and Arteta - who was coy over whether the England international would start - believes that his Irons homecoming will be a "beautiful moment".
"He's likely. He's fit and can be involved. It will be his first time back at his old club and a beautiful moment I think for him," arsenal.com quotes Arteta as saying in his pre-game press conference.
"I think it's beautiful. I had the experience to do it a few times and then you really see what they think of you and what you left at the club. It's a really good way to measure your experience and your reality within the reality of the people who share moments with you."
When asked if Rice should receive a good reception from the home crowd, Arteta replied: "I would say so. I hope so. Especially, every time you hear him talk about West Ham and what they did for him and everybody at the club, he cannot talk any higher, so hopefully they will be the same way towards him."
While Rice is set to be involved in the fourth round, Arteta will continue to make do without Jurrien Timber (ACL), Gabriel Jesus (hamstring) and Thomas Partey (muscle), the latter of whom sustained a fresh problem in training prior to last week's Champions League triumph over Sevilla.
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The Ghana international also spent a few weeks in the infirmary with a groin injury last month, and Arteta has admitted that his injury record since joining Arsenal in 2020 is a "big concern".
"I think he will be out for weeks. I don't know how long but he's got another appointment today and we will see more after that," Arteta added. "It is a big concern because when Thomas is fit and available and he's been part of the team, we've seen the results and the impact that he had.
"This season we have more protection especially for that reason because we know in the last two seasons what has happened and the result it had on the team. We had to address that and now it has happened.
"It can happen in football and I'm so sorry for him because I think he is doing every single thing he can do right to be there. He was gutted and we are for him, but he needs to lift himself up again with our support and go again because he's a player that is critical for us."
The Gunners boss also refused to give a timeframe on Jesus's recovery, although he previously stated that the Brazilian would be sidelined for a few weeks with the issue he sustained against Sevilla, and an update was also issued on the condition of Martin Odegaard.
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Arsenal's skipper was surprisingly named on the bench for the weekend's 5-0 Premier League drubbing of Sheffield United, although it emerged that he had been playing through a hip issue, and Arteta has insisted that it is "impossible" for a Premier League footballer not to play through a minor affliction.
"We rested him the other day, so it's how long we rest him for and how we manage the minutes and the rhythm that he needs to be at his best. We had the opportunity to [rest him] and we didn't use him in the end," Arteta said of Odegaard.
"It's impossible to play with no niggles in football, and at this level, when you have games every three days, it's impossible. If you try to do that, you better stay in bed, because I don't know any players who are constantly perfect and in the best possible condition, so you have to adapt to that."
Arsenal overcame Brentford 1-0 in the third round of the EFL Cup to set up a tie with West Ham, but not since the 1992-93 have the Gunners got their hands on the trophy.
Ben Knapton
