In a significant move that has sent shockwaves throughout the football world, Arsenal have successfully secured the signing of midfield maestro Declan Rice from West Ham United for a staggering fee of £105 million. The completion of this long-awaited deal signifies Arsenal’s intent to compete at the highest level and signals their ambition to challenge for the Premier League title in the near future.
West Ham knew last summer that this was Rice’s last season with the Hammers and gave him the green light to discuss his next destination with clubs that could help fulfil his ambitions, so the negotiations for Rice’s transfer had been ongoing for several months, with the player making it abundantly clear that his desire was to don the famous Red and White of Arsenal. Even if Manchester City had matched Arsenal’s offer, Rice’s heart was set on joining the Gunners. The young midfielder holds Mikel Arteta in high regard and believes that under the guidance of the Arsenal manager, he can unlock his full potential and become an even more complete player.
According to the latest column from Fabrizio Romano in his CaughtOffside substack, Arteta’s involvement in the negotiations was hands-on and highly influential. The Arsenal manager personally presented Rice with a detailed and extensive plan outlining how he intends to enhance the midfielder’s attacking contributions and elevate his overall game. This personalized approach from Arteta left a lasting impression on Rice, solidifying his conviction that Arsenal was the perfect club for him to continue his development and aspire to reach the pinnacle of his abilities.
Beyond the persuasive efforts of Arteta, Rice was attracted to Arsenal’s project and their unwavering ambition to challenge for top honors. The Gunners’ commitment to building a team capable of vying for the Premier League title resonated deeply with the young talent. Rice firmly believes that Arsenal’s winning mentality and their dedicated pursuit of success align perfectly with his own aspirations.
The acquisition of Declan Rice represents a major coup for Arsenal. With his arrival, the Gunners have not only secured the services of a world-class midfielder but also added a leader and a player of immense quality to their squad. Rice’s composure, vision, and defensive prowess make him an invaluable asset on the field, while his ability to control the tempo of the game and contribute offensively will undoubtedly elevate Arsenal’s overall performance.
Throughout the negotiations, it became clear that Arsenal held a significant advantage in the race for Rice’s signature. The midfielder had spoken glowingly of his admiration for Arteta, and his desire to remain in London made Arsenal the frontrunners from the start. Although Chelsea showed initial interest and were in contention until January, Rice ultimately had reservations about joining a club where he may not have been playing under a manager he respected.
Arsenal’s successful capture of Declan Rice sends a powerful message to their Premier League rivals. It highlights the club’s determination to build a formidable team capable of challenging for top honors. With Rice’s addition to the squad, the Gunners have not only bolstered their midfield options but have also demonstrated their commitment to assembling a squad of elite talents who can drive the club forward.
As the new season approaches, Arsenal fans can look forward to witnessing the impact of Rice’s arrival. The young midfielder’s passion, technical ability, and leadership qualities are sure to resonate on the pitch, as he strives to help propel Arsenal to greater heights. With Arteta at the helm and a talent like Rice in their ranks, along with Arteta’s the Gunners’ ambitions of reclaiming their Premier League glory appear more within reach than ever before.
A guest post from Moggy from TheArsenalBlog
Arteta: Declan, did you remember how I saved Xhaka’s career? He’s also not technically-gifted like you and nothing special in deep-midfield area
Rice: So if I fail as a DM, you will play me as an AM? Sounds like a great plan, amigo. Just pay the Hammers with five-year installments and I’ll work harder than him
Should be…..”Declan, do you remember how I played Xhaka out of position for 2+ years when it was clear he didn’t belong at DM, I promise not to do that with you and play you in your best position” 😅
So you want to convince me that Declan Rice was not put off by Arteta’s Authoritarian / dictatorial personality?
Or hasn’t he been paying attention to the way Arteta’s man management skills are continually being exposed as poor when it comes to managing big name / celebrity players?
Or didn’t he do his research regarding how badly Arteta has treated the likes of ESR, Martinelli, Guendouzi, AMN, Saliba, Pepe, Balogun etc?
🤞
Change the record buddy ,ffs it got old 12 months ago .
It wasn’t clever or funny then and it definitely isn’t now .
Please 🤞
Yes Goonster, a joke repeated 20 times becomes very UNfunny…
@Admin Pat
Where did I write that it was supposed to be a joke, meant to be funny or make you laugh?
Lols
Now that is a joke ,good one goonster well played 😂
@Dan Kit
I am a bit confused. @Admin Pat thinks it’s not funny but then on the other side you seem to be cracking up with laughter.
I am confused here.
May be both of you should have asked me first before interpreting my comments in two very contradictory ways.
😇🤭
He hasn’t treated players badly at all, it’s called man management and how to manage a team. You really are a stuck record on your dislike of Arteta. ESR had a long term injury, Martinelli ?, Guendouzi was a pain in the arse and deserved to be binned off, AMN was a lazy player, Saliba, well that worked ok, Pepé just didn’t cut it, Balogun is still here and could stay and etc? Did you have a bad day or something?
He was being sarcastic GB 😂
That is whats so annoying about his posts ,
The constant need to defend Arteta against any fan that tells it differently,like I said it was boring 12 months ago .
I’m sure Arteta will prove us doubters wrong this season so I’m not sure what the constant unfunny comments are about
@Dan
I do think Arteta has proven and keeps proving you guys wrong on nearly each and every massive / contentious issue so far.
What is left is for him to now show the rest of us fans that have tried our best to afford him as much time, leeway and encouragement throughout the tough times you guys created for him. Now he has got to reward the owners and us the moderate fans that have continued to provide encourage him.. He has got to get a far as possible in the CL, got to take on City all the way to to finish line this time, can’t choke again with 6 games to go..
That’s a great story goonster buddy.
But I’m not sure with your constant sarcastic posts ,what that as to do with it ,maybe you have self doubt yourself that’s why you feel the constant need to defend Arteta when there is absolutely no need to do it .
Also please tell me how he has proven me and my ilk wrong .
4 years in and one cup and a net spend that makes Man City look like a academy club .
So Arteta’s man management is wonderful then? That explains why the tough got going when the going got tough at the end of the past two seasons.
JS
i wouldnt say it is wonderful and we can all see at times there have been mistakes. i am sure if you spoke to him he would say exactly the same that he could have handled thing differently .
doesnt matter what industry you are in when put in that position you have your own ideas and you basically stick to them no matter who gets hurt at the time.
you want your own team around you to follow and implement your ideas.
to date he has done ok in getting us to a level where we all believe we should be.
the hard part now is maintaining those levels and raising the bar as to finish ahead of everyone else.
our club and manager are not alone in working like this as you can see at united and cheslki and co who have the same problem in trying to move player out. Players wages are ridiculous now so that makes it even harder.
you have heard in the past where managers want players out, they completely stop communicating with them and send them to coventry. send them to train with the under 21.s
thats poor management.
Damn if he did, damn if he didn’t. Without any cohesion of arguments, people just wanna tend to their emotional needs.
Arsenal was never in danger of losing DR because no team was ever going to pay £105m for an average player with only 1 yr left in his contract.
It’s a heck of a lot of money on a player
Not sure what kind of a plan or dream MA sold him or what he thinks he is buying into.
Happy the owners are spending the money on a player that I personally think improves our team.
Happy MA and AFC are shooting for the stars and if we do fail then it won’t be for lack of trying.
It’ has been far to long where we as a club have settled for just mediocrity season after season
Isn’t life all about wanting the best And aiming for the top.
What’s wrong in wanting our club having the same ambitions
Sorry to disappoint, but the idea that we were never in danger of losing out on DC couldnt be farther from the truth!
Anyone remember a certain dude named Mykhailo Mudryk?? This dude basically promoted his transfer to Arsenal all season and was more outwardly outspoken about his desire to be at Arsenal than DC ever did. All firsthand too! Not same as DC’s which are mostly from secondhand sources.
Anyone remember Caicedo throwing a strop and literally doing a goodbye tour to his teammates all in a bid to make the move to Arsenal whom he allegedly loved so much? Need I go on?
So, nope! Nothing was a sure bet in a transfer season.
Guardiola’s hubris and overconfidence probably turned DC off from City, as if an interest from City automatically means a done deal, and not a trophy aden finger need be raised to personally see the deal come to fruition.