has endorsed £105m deal for and backed his former club to win the next season.
Arsenal , making the England midfielder the .
Rice had spent a decade at West Ham, making 245 appearances for the first-team after graduating from the academy and helping the Hammers – their first major trophy in 43 years.
Arsenal failed with two offers for Rice, who was , before meeting West Ham’s £100m asking price.
Rice, 24, becomes Mikel Arteta’s third signing of the summer following Germany forward Kai Havertz and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber and joins a team that finished second in the Premier League last season.
‘I think it is a good investment,’ Wenger, who spent 22 years in charge of Arsenal, told .
‘Overall, personally I think they have made good buys as they are players who are now mature, 23, 24, but still young so can stay together for a few years.
‘They will be under more pressure after last year, but they have learned a lot and they can show they can deal with that pressure now.’
Arsenal came close to winning their first Premier League title since 2004 last season, sitting top for 248 days before ultimately finishing five points behind Man City.
Pep Guardiola’s side will , though the treble winners could face more competition from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Asked for his thoughts on next season’s title race, Arsenal legend Wenger said: ‘I believe we will win the championship, it is as simple as that. I have less doubts for Arsenal than the cycling today.’
Wenger was speaking at the start of Stage 15 of the Tour de France, where Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar are set to go head-to-head in the Alps.
‘I love cycling. In France everybody grows up with the Tour de France,’ Wenger, 73, added.
‘I am friends with Christian Prudhomme (general director of Tour de France) and he invited me to watch it from inside. It is a bit like going inside the dressing room of a football team.
‘Today should be a battle between two exceptional champions. Everybody has the same thinking of who will win it.
‘At some stage somebody has to make the difference. That is what we are all excited about.’
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