This time, Arsenal had no choice but to go all in. There is no backup plan, no way to cheaply move to alternate targets, and there is no room for error. Declan Rice was a must-have.
Without him, Arteta’s strategy for advancing his squad did not make sense. Rice served as the focal point and the foundational element that would make all other transfer targets make sense. This was the takeaway that Rice received from Arsenal’s deft courtship of the West Ham captain.
Despite the need for patience in the final weeks of negotiations due to two rejected offers and Manchester City squeezing in at the very last minute, the deal with West Ham was finally finalised at 5 p.m. on Friday. Rice signed a five-year contract with the option of an additional year.
They began the hunt with the expectation that the ultimate cost would fall between £70 million and £80 million, but they wound up breaking the Premier League record for a British player, which Manchester City established when they acquired Jack Grealish from Aston Villa in the summer of 2021. The fee of £100m ($130.9m) plus £5m in potential add-ons is more than they had deposited on spending. They had ideally hoped to complete the transaction six months earlier, but Arsenal won’t give a damn.
The prize money will more than cover the additional monies invested in this transaction if Rice proves to be as revolutionary as Arsenal believes he can be, much like how Jurgen Klopp’s expanding Liverpool club was improved in year four of his tenure by the headline arrivals of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.
Rice was long considered by Arsenal to be the critical puzzle piece that was lacking
It only fueled Arteta’s determination to ensure that Rice would soon be enjoying his football in Islington, six miles west of West Ham’s Olympic Stadium, after he sought advice from Arsenal’s England contingent, which included Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale.
After they named him their top goal for the window in January, he wanted to make it happen. Arsenal looked into a potential transfer seriously that month, but it quickly became clear that it was never going to happen—both financially and because Rice was rendered even more necessary by West Ham’s dismal league standing.
David Sullivan, the chairman of West Ham, did not want to lose the club’s talisman in a relegation fight.
He had no idea that Rice would later help David Moyes’ team win the Europa League Conference in May. Although Rice was always the top priority, Arsenal also focused on Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo when they realised a January transfer was unlikely.
Arsenal could not take no for an answer after having a £60 million proposal for Caicedo quickly rejected and informed that he was not for sale. They came back on the last day of the transfer window with a second offer of £70 million for the Ecuadorian, who had used social media to beg Brighton to approve the deal.
With the idea that a summer transfer to someplace, maybe to Arsenal, was all but certain, Brighton stayed fast and extended him a generous new deal.
Another change was made by Arsenal, this time to a different kind of deep midfielder. In contrast to Rice and Caicedo, who are recognised for their strength and versatility, Chelsea midfielder Jorginho is a smart player who compensates up for his lack of mobility by controlling the game. In order for them to have the depth to keep up with the speed in the championship race, Arteta felt he needed something more in the middle of the field, therefore it was only a temporary solution.
Rice was given a presentation by Arteta and Edu that was quite thorough and explained the proposal
When the train was about to depart, did Rice get on? This was how they concluded their opening salvo.
When it comes to the specifics and individualised nature of the pitch, no other team compared to Arsenal among the major clubs with which Rice’s representatives met. The midfielder scored so highly on so many different criteria used by Arsenal to grade applicants that Arteta nearly had a book’s worth of reports on him. It’s the reason he was so enthusiastic about the acquisition, and Rice could tell that when he described what his No. 6 position would entail.
This summer, there was an awareness that it was time for him to move to the highest level. Last summer, West Ham had written legal letters to teams warning against offers and threatening action if they had proof of tapping up.
Due in large part to the extensive background research Edu and director of football operations Richard Garlick conducted on the player and his family, personal terms were generally thought not to be an issue. The management of Rice’s affairs is handled by his father and brother with the assistance of a business expert, but it was always going to be a complicated process.
Arsenal waited as required until Rice had departed the England camp during the Euro 2024 qualifying doubleheader against Malta and North Macedonia and until West Ham had enjoyed their festivities after going home as the Europa Conference League champions.
Although it was rejected, Arsenal and West Ham continued to communicate, and the negotiations were assisted by conversations that had taken place earlier in the day between West Ham executive Karren Brady and Arsenal executive Tim Lewis at the Premier League AGM in Hampshire.
Lewis participated actively in conversations between clubs about fees and payment schedules and served as a liaison between Arsenal’s owners and the team when they wanted to increase the next offer. But at Arsenal’s end, Edu and Garlick were in charge, with the latter playing a significant role in the discussions with the players.
Rice’s skill had been recognised for years, but at this time it seemed like a one-horse race
Last summer, Manchester United was said to have been interested in him, but they were focused on getting Casemiro from Real Madrid and Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, who decided to remain in Spain.
According to reliable rumours from this summer, United could have offered Rice money plus players, including Anthony Elanga, Scott McTominay, and Harry Maguire, all of whom Moyes could have found appealing as makeweights.
Liverpool decided against even speaking with Rice’s representatives. They were never really considered, and a source claimed it was done with Jude Bellingham in mind as well. At the time, they were competing for his signature, and they didn’t want to upset his camp. Later, Bellingham joined Real Madrid. Thomas Tuchel, the manager of Bayern Munich, was a fan of Rice and wanted to bring him to Germany, but they were aware that Arsenal had gotten there first.
In that regard, the strategy had succeeded. They wanted to avoid a public auction and get the jump on any possible suitors. On June 25, though, they suddenly catapulted into the uncertain world they had been attempting to escape. By putting a bid of £80 million plus £10 million, which represented a higher guaranteed payment for West Ham, City ensured there would be no stress-free procession.
Pep Guardiola’s team attempted to overtake their London rivals after ruthlessly ending Arsenal’s championship defence in April and May. To make matters worse, there was no way to go back from Arsenal’s Rice plan because it had already been implemented.
Although the £65 million transfer for Kai Havertz from Chelsea was almost finalised, the entire tactical redefinition of the midfield was based on the German starting alongside Rice.
Must Read: What makes Declan Rice a perfect player to fit in Arteta’s squad?
To push the transaction over the line, Arsenal had to offer a lot more
Is it risky to spend more than £100 million for a young player who has never played in the Champions League? No doubt. However, it is calculated and also a coup that a player of Rice’s calibre regarded them as his logical next move in order to take the team to the next level.
Although City may be the club to beat after winning the triple, Rice could see why Arsenal might make more sense. While City appears to be a complete club, Arsenal’s decision was motivated by the prospect of ultimate success and winning a championship.
Rice would be charged with playing a crucial part in guiding the team’s transformation from contenders to champions after joining one of the youngest squads in one of Europe’s top divisions. He is a person who likes responsibility and is only the third West Ham captain in the club’s history to win a trophy after assuming the armband in 2022 at the age of just 23.
After the victory over Bournemouth in April, during which he once again earned man of the match honours, it is clear why his West Ham teammates continued repeating the ‘ten more years, ten more years Declan Rice’ slogan. He had promised them that he would never submit a transfer request to get them to move since he wanted to go with dignity. The crew was aware that this would be his final season, but they didn’t see a difference in his level of dedication.
Instead, they witnessed Rice alter his leadership approach and attempt to energise the squad during two player meetings following the defeat to Tottenham in February, which left West Ham in the relegation zone.
He decided to take the initiative to set the example, and he got much louder on the practise pitch. In an effort to rekindle the sense of camaraderie that had propelled them to a seventh-place finish and the Europa League semifinals the season before, he would criticise players if they weren’t working out hard enough.
Even if it would have made his leave simpler, Rice did not want to be a part of a relegation. Because of his love for the club and his talent and desire, he could have easily continued working there for the rest of his career, but he wanted to go out on top.
Due to disagreements over the deal’s payment structure, there were delays in his public debut. This morning, West Ham announced Rice’s departure, albeit they omitted to indicate that he was joining Arsenal. Rice also sent a message of farewell to his supporters. A few hours later, Arsenal announced the signing.
By making the trade official right before they take off for a preseason tour of the US, Arsenal avoided a summer-long controversy. Rice will board the aircraft with his new teammates tomorrow. When Rice was first transferred, they inquired as to whether he was on board. With the 24-year-old in charge of their midfield, Arsenal hopes to win the Premier League in the near future.
