Declan Rice has used boxing and golf to become a machine in both mind and body

• Declan Rice has become the Premier League’s most expensive British player 
• After signing for Arsenal for £105million, he is already focused on the big prizes
• A focus on listening and improving in all areas has been a hallmark of his career

Maybe you would expect nothing less for £105million, but the Premier League’s most expensive British footballer, Declan Rice, has become a machine in both mind and body, learning from other sports such as boxing and golf.

Rice, whose completed move from West Ham to Arsenal will raise hopes that this season’s title race won’t be a one-team procession, is the home boy who may have preferred to stay in the capital even if Manchester City had matched the Hammers’ asking price.

A boyhood Chelsea fan, Rice’s initial dream was to return to Stamford Bridge – from where he was released aged 14 – in a blaze of glory.

But with things turning in a different direction under Todd Boehly – and Rice’s best mate Mason Mount leaving for Manchester United – Arsenal were a winning alternative. They leave for their American pre-season tour on Sunday with Champions League football to look forward to.

Rice was focused on the main prize from the day he walked in the door at West Ham. ‘He always looked at you in the eye during conversations. It isn’t always the case for young players,’ recalled academy chief Tony Carr.

That focus to listen and improve has been a hallmark of his career since. He has become an England mainstay at their last two tournaments and in June became only the third captain in West Ham’s history, after Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds, to lift a major trophy.

Rice, who has always trained at 100 per cent every day, has developed his physical levels further since fitness coach David Billows joined West Ham in 2020, having also worked for manager David Moyes at Everton.

Billows has a boxing background, with cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew hailing him as his ‘day one strength and conditioning coach’.

‘The best in the business – a massive asset,’ says Bellew, and Rice has benefited from his demanding sessions in the gym, often with Billows, most days before and after training.

‘Try to sneak past him, he’ll drag you in. He’s proper,’ says Rice, now 24 and entering his peak years.

Billows doesn’t use boxing methods directly for his footballers. You won’t find any punchbags or speed balls around his gym.

But his style and…