ARSENAL SIGN MIDFIELDER DECLAN RICE FROM WEST HAM UNITED FOR CLUB RECORD £105 MILLION FEE
Arsenal Football Club have signed England international midfielder Declan Rice, the club announced on Saturday.
After a two-week period of waiting and tense negotiations, the multi-million pound transfer is now complete. West Ham agreed to a £105 million (€122.2 million) deal to send Rice to the Emirates a couple of weeks ago, a fee that makes the talented midfielder the most expensive English player in history, eclipsing the £100 million sum total paid by Manchester City for then 26-year-old Jack Grealish last summer. The Irons were, however, reported earlier this week to be frustrated at Arsenal’s unhurried nature in completing the transfer, more than a week after the signing fee was agreed to.
Arsenal will pay a guaranteed initial fee of £100 million to West Ham over the next two years, and will pay the remaining £5 million in conditional add-ons. As per Sky Sports’ Mark McAdam, the deal stalled due to an ongoing process with regard to the structure of the payments but the Gunners eventually sent the official signed documents to West Ham on Friday, finally completing the deal.
According to the Daily Mirror, Rice is expected to earn up to £240,000 in weekly wages at Arsenal, having signed a five-year deal valid until June 30th, 2028, and will finally have a chance to play Champions League football for the first time in his career this season. The Gunners finished second in the Premier League last year and will play among Europe’s elite for the first time since 2016/17.
West Ham announced Rice’s exit on Saturday morning, citing that the young Englishman had “earned his place in history alongside the great Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds as the only players to have captained West Ham United to a major trophy.”
Rice replaced long-term West Ham midfielder Mark Noble as the club’s captain last summer and led the team to the club’s maiden European trophy a few weeks ago. The Hammers won the Europa Conference League final against Serie A side Fiorentina on June 7th, in effect ending the club’s 43-year major trophy drought.
Rice would go on to score 15 goals since his club debut in 2017 and record a total of 14 assists across 245 appearances for the Irons. The 24-year-old was also named the Europa Conference League’s Player of the Season in 2022/23 by UEFA on June 8th, a day after leading West Ham to their conference league victory in Prague.
“You have taken me into your hearts as one of your own from day one,” Rice wrote to the West Ham fans. “Playing in front of you has been an honor. We have had great times together, and you all mean so much to me. This club and its supporters will always be in my heart, and forever a part of who I am.”
The three-time Hammer of the Year exits the West London club and moves up to North London, joining a team that desperately needs leadership and experience in midfield following the departure of captain Granit Xhaka to German side Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
One of the league’s best players, Rice is expected to have an immediate impact at Arsenal having had a career year last season. Known for his defensive abilities and pass-picking tendencies in midfield, the Kingston-born midfielder won possession more than any other Premier League player last season. Rice also made the most interceptions in the league, a skill set that’s expected to suit Arsenal’s ball possession and link-up style of play.
Arsenal Sporting Director Edu Gaspar said regarding Rice in a statement: “Declan is a player with fantastic ability and a proven record at both club and international levels… a high quality, young international player who will add great strength to our squad, fitting so well into our strategy of competing with young talented players at the centre of our club.”
“It’s great that Declan will be joining up with Mikel, our coaches and his new teammates in good time ahead of the new season.”
The English midfielder has already amassed 43 caps for England in his young international career and was a key player to the national team’s successes at EURO 2020 and FIFA World Cup 2022. The Three Lions reached the final and quarter final stages in both tournaments respectively, and at the moment, are considered one of the finest international sides in the world.
“We’re really happy that Declan is joining us,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “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.”
“He has great experience in the Premier League at only 24 years old… The responsibility and role he has taken on has been very impressive and we are really excited that he is joining us.”
Rice will wear the number 41 shirt at Arsenal, the same number he wore at West Ham and will join the Gunners on their preseason tour of the United States. Rice is now the club’s third signing of the summer after the North London side acquired midfielder Kai Havertz a few weeks ago and defender Jurrien Timber on Friday.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Chelsea Debs. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.