Finally, English club Arsenal have completed the signing of Declan Rice. Since the Day 1 of the Summer Transfer Window, Arsenal have been trying hard to sign the English midfielder from West Ham. However, Arsenal officially featured Declan Rice today, but it was never an easy negotiation with West Ham.
West Ham turned down two bids from Arsenal as they had wanted £120m for Rice. Moreover, things got difficult for Arsenal when Man City entered the race to sign Declan Rice. But Mike Arteta was very determined for Rice and never left the race. After that, Man City didn’t go with the bidding fight and left the race.
After that, Arsenal reached an agreement with West Ham United for the English midfielder. Arsenal will pay £105m, including add-ons. However, £100m will be paid over 24 months. However, Declan Rice has signed a five-year contract for Arsenal.
This is the record transfer fee for a British player. It is also the highest transfer fee in Arsenal’s transfer history.
Rice on Joining Arsenal
Declan Rice had an interview today following his transfer to Arsenal. He thanked the fans for showing support. Rice said, “First of all, I just want to say a massive thank you to all the Arsenal fans for the support so far. It’s been overwhelming – there’s been a lot going on, a lot of speculation for months. But obviously, as a player, you want to get things dealt with as quickly as possible, so you’re settled. Today I’ve had my first day, and I’m feeling really at home.”
Rice has been a fan of Mikel Arteta
Declan Rice is a fan of Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta. He loves the way of Arteta’s playing style. Rice said, “I’ve been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they’ve been going on. Not last season but the season before, they finished fifth, but you could see the style of play Mikel was implementing.”
“Last season was an outstanding season, blowing pretty much every team out of the water with the exception of Man City. With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club, and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me,” Declan Rice added.
Arteta on signing Rice
Mikel Arteta pushed Rice for joining Arsenal. Finally, the deal is completed today. Mikel Arteta is very delighted to sign Rice. The manager said, “We’re really happy that Declan is joining us. He is a player with tremendous ability, who has been performing at a high level in the Premier League and for England for a number of seasons now. Declan is bringing undoubted quality to the club and he is an exceptional talent who has the potential to be very successful here.”
