Arsenal have confirmed the signing Declan Rice from West Ham in a £105million deal.
The Athleticreported earlier this month that the midfielder had been given permission to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms after the two clubs had settled on a transfer fee of £100million plus £5million in add-ons in June.
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The clubs had been negotiating over the structure of the payments but the England midfielder has now completed his move across London.
“I’ve been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they’ve been on,” Rice said.
“Not last season but the season before, they (only) 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 Manchester City.”
The fee for Rice is a Premier League record for a British player.
He has signed a five-year deal to keep him at the club until 2028, with the option of a further year.
Rice is set to fly out to the United States with the Arsenal team on Sunday ahead of the club’s pre-season U.S. tour.
“In football, amazing opportunities arise. Big clubs, like Arsenal, have come for me and it’s really hard to turn down,” he added.
“You only ever get one career and I really believe in what Mikel is building here and the squad he’s building. I’m really looking forward to the future with Arsenal.
“For me as a player, I’ve come here really hungry to have more success and to spend my best years at this great club.”
West Ham confirmed Rice’s departure earlier on Saturday, although their club statement failed to mention that he was joining Arsenal. The 24-year-old also published an open letter to supporters, stating the club would “always be in my heart”.
Just as he did at West Ham, the England international will continue to wear the No 41 shirt at Arsenal.
GO DEEPERHow can Arsenal afford possible Rice, Havertz and Timber transfers under FFP?Manager Mikel Arteta 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.
“Declan has great experience in the Premier League at only 24 years old. He has captained a very good West Ham team and as we all saw, he recently lifted a European trophy. The responsibility and role he has taken on has been very impressive and we are really excited that he is joining us.”
Manchester City pulled out of the race to sign Rice after Arsenal submitted an improved bid.
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City had initially matched Arsenal’s £90million proposal, offering an increased sum up front, only for both bids to be rejected.
But Arsenal returned with an improved offer to try and secure manager Mikel Arteta’s top summer target.
Rice had a year left on his West Ham deal but chairman David Sullivan said after the club’s Europa Conference League triumph that he expected the England international to have played his last game for the club,adding that he “wanted to go”.
He has made 245 appearances for West Ham since making his debut in 2017.
Inside Rice’s move to Arsenal
Analysis by Jordan Campbell, Roshane Thomas, James McNicholas, Laurie Whitwell, Andy Naylor and David Ornstein
This time, it truly was all or nothing forArsenal. No Plan B, no capacity for frugal switches to alternative targets and, therefore, no room for error.
It wasDeclan Riceor bust.
TheWest Hamcaptain was everything to Mikel Arteta this summer. Those inside the club had repeated for months that it could not be overstated how central he was to the manager’s vision.
Without him, Arteta’s plan to take his Arsenal team to the next level simply did not add up. Every other transfer target was inextricably linked to Rice as the centrepiece, the nucleus that would make everything else make sense.
This was the message hammered home to Rice in Arsenal’s subtle courting of the West Ham captain.
GO DEEPERInside Rice's move to Arsenal: Arteta influence, long-term plan, no transfer requestWhy Rice transfer is vital for Arsenal
Analysis by Art de Roche
The heights Arsenal are willing to go regarding the fee for Rice may confuse some but, from the club’s perspective, landing the West Ham captain in this window is essential.
Why? A number of factors have been clear with the evolution of their recruitment strategy over the past two summers. Moving from ‘Project Youth 2.0’ going into the 2021-22 season to signing experienced players in their mid-twenties this time last year was key to Arsenal raising their level.
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Rice serves as a continuation of last summer’s strategy as a 24-year-old who has started all 12 of England’s games at the past two major tournaments, started 93 per cent (190) of his 204 league appearances for West Ham and driven them to win the Europa Conference League final last month.
Alongside all that, he is another player whose attributes lend themselves to more than one role, although the signing of Kai HavertzfromChelsea— who will likely fill the left-sided No 8 role for Arteta — would see Rice slot in as a No 6.
(Photo: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
David Ornstein joined The Athletic in October 2019 after 12 years as a sports journalist and correspondent at the BBC. In the role of Football Correspondent, he is responsible for producing exclusive and original stories and interviews, offering unique insight and analysis. He works across video, audio and the written word. Follow David on Twitter @David_Ornstein
