Friday, November 8, 2024

City out of Rice race, Arsenal closing in on deal

Manchester City have pulled out of the race to sign Declan Rice leaving Arsenal with a clear path to sign the player even though yesterday’s offer in excess of £100 million is yet to be accepted by West Ham.

The Gunners had been waiting for the treble winners to make a first official offer before returning to negotiations.

After the Citizens put forward a £90 million package – matching the total on the table from Arsenal but paid in fewer instalments – Edu returned with a fee nearer to the Hammers’ valuation of the England international.

It was widely believed City would try again but even though they’ve lost captain Ilkay Gundogan, they’ve decided not to throw more money at the situation. Fair enough really, it’s a lot of cash, even for cheats.

Various reports suggest Arsenal still need to find an agreement on the structure of the deal but there is now a consensus that Mikel Arteta will get his number one target of the summer.

Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal want to pay £100 million across four years. The Hammers want the money within 18 months.

The Gunners were first linked with Rice in January and throughout the last few months, whispers from those close to him have suggested he favours a move to Emirates Stadium.

All going well, Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber should all be available for pre-season when the Arsenal first team returns in a couple of weeks.

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Jack

£100m in 18 months is insane stuff. Never do business with West Ham again.

Johnny 4 Hats

Reminds me of the time I borrowed £5 off Wonga…

Nainsley Aitland Miles

That’s £182,648.40 per day.

Daveo

Considering Stan bags about $5-10M per day, I think we’ll be ok…

Sakatatties

Walmarts Revenue is about $66million per minute!

Sakatatties

Scrap that, per hour.

Iceman

Revenue and profit aren’t the same thing.

Also, the Waltons (multiple Waltons, not just Ann) own Walmart, not Kroenke, and they don’t own all of Walmart, they own half of it… and shareholders don’t take home the entire profit.

If you really want to look at Stan’s income, look at his net worth which increased by an estimated 2B last year. That would be his real theoretical profit across all businesses, so his income is more like a quarter million per hour… Where’s Swiss ramble when you need him, ha ha.

Daveo

So $5-10M per day… Thanks for providing the working on my number…I guess I only get partial marks.

John

Nope! “show working”, or no mark at all. How do I know you didn’t just copy the answer off a mate? You’ve got excellent vision, and your neck is suspiciously long….hmmm

Sakatatties

Ok mate, the point is that they are ridiculously rich and 100m on a football player is nothing

Emi Rates

Walmart are buying players for us?

Gaby! Gabi! Gabé!

As long as we’re not buying from there, don’t care who pays for it!

Russ

Terrible company, they use one plastic bag per bloody item you buy! (Sorry, gone off the piste there but still..)

Daveo

No we’re just buying rice from Walmart

Alan Sunderland

In a way they are. Seems to me that Josh is the driving force behind the spending. He’s worth a billion in his own right. He will inherit half of Stan’s money and he will inherit a large part of Walmart.

Johnny 4 Hats

I’m just glad the embarrassment of Nicolas Pepe being our most expensive player is soon to be over.

Ealing

That’s another way to look at it

Heavenly Chapecoense

The new embarrassment is that we will have to sell Pepe 15M in the same window his record price was beaten.

Berlingoon

Feel bad to disappoint you but no one will give us 15 mio for Pepe with 1 year left on his deal. If we‘re good, we just manage to cancel the contract without having him to pay for the final year. That‘s the most I can see us getting out of this unfortunately.

A Different George

Well, almost no one. Pepe is the sort of player that the new Saudi set-up may well view as a step forward–a good player, significantly younger than a “retirement” signing. Don’t know this will happen, or if Pepe would want that, but 15 million is genuinely irrelevant to them, as is the salary they could offer him.

Emi Rates

Which is still peanuts compared to the interest rate on a 5 quid Wonga loan.

Deano

Just fleece them if they chase one of our players.

Teryima Adi

We don’t know how to sell players yet.

Johnny 4 Hats

I think that’s a little unfair.

Iwobi
Ox
Willock

That’s about £100m from a £15m layout.

None of which have done much. Willock will probably do fine at Newcastle, likely a backup to the first XI. But the other two were terrible purchases.

It’s easy to forget the good ones.

Naked Cygan

Paying £100m for Rice is insane in the first place. He is a great player don’t get me wrong, but the media has overhyped him. He is not worth more than £50-60 million. I still feel we should go for Caicedo too. He is way better than Rice and more versatile. Will be sad to see Xhaka and Partey go if the rumors are true. Think Xhaka had an excellent season and his experience would be so valuable to the younger players next season.

Walter White

I don’t think the media overhyped him. We have a bunch of “pundits” claiming he’s not worth more than 60m, which is pretty laughable to me.

There’s a reason he was Tuchels and Artetas absolute priority target.
Meanwhile, Guardiola was willing to pay 80 + 15m and not even use him in his best position.

Not saying 100m + 5 is a steal at all, but Declan Rice is a massive player and unfortunately, that comes with a massive fee.

Joey Jay

British media knows how to hype English players up and boost their transfer values. Rice is good but not exceptional

Anders Limpar

Absolutely agree.

Yes of course he will improve the team and be a great player and I’m sure we will all love him. But is he a 100 mil player, probably not.

Is he, in very simply terms, 12/17 million pounds more of a player than Bellingham. No. But neither is Jack Grealish and that’s what man city had to pay. Are both Rice and Grealish arguably 60-80 million pound players like Bellingham. Probably, but the 20% “hype tax” to transfer between 2 English clubs makes the fee and the deal quite hard to swallow.

A Different George

It’s hard to compare players with different styles, but thinking of the broad category of a “number 6,” I can think of only Rodri and Partey (at his best) who were as good as Rice last season–playing with far inferior teammates. I thought he was great for England too. I don’t know what “exceptional” means to you–but if you had ten starters at that level, you would win the league. Which is, I suspect, exactly what Arteta thinks.

Baz Fandé

Rice is more than just a 6. That alone inflates his price

YoungGun

Lol. West Ham had that price out here before Arsenal even came in. If it was our player, club captain, England starter who’s midfield partner went to RM for 100m seasoned in the EPL we would ask for the same price. Let’s be real sometimes.

Thierry Bergkamp (non negotiable)

I think Jack meant them wanting the full 100m spread over 18 months

Heavenly Chapecoense

All the attributes you gave Rice were true for Cesc Fabregas plus WC and Euro winner when we sold him to Barcelona. How much did we get in the money of today?

Heavenly Chapecoense

Even the partner Alex Song was sold to Barcelona, lol.

YoungGun

If we start talking about how bad we were at selling we might both become alcoholics. That’s a long road.

Teryima Adi

😄

Thierry Bergkamp (non negotiable)

Probably in retaliation for the 17m they paid for Perez

karl g

If you compare it to Harry Maguire at £80m, or even Mudryk at £90m, maybe it is not so much.

Anon

Difference is Rice is a pretty safe bet but Mudryk and Maguire both flopped hard

Alberto Balsam Mendez Rodriguez

The only thing that’s a safe bet in football, is Frank Lampard and Phil Neville getting another job as a manager, no matter how bad they are.

Anon

Pretty safe.
If you’re going to spend 100m on a player at least try to be sure they’re going to be good.

karl g

I wonder how many millions Lampard has made in managerial payoffs in his short career in the dugout?

Alberto Balsam Mendez Rodriguez

Saddened he didn’t manage to relegate two teams in one year, that would have been a true reverse midas achievement,

Johnny 4 Hats

Never in any doubt

Chinaman

Edu & Arteta have made me believe.
North London now has the most expensive Rice

Johnny 4 Hats

The only worry I have is we’ve spent a lot and still don’t have any depth.

Probably Xhaka, Partey and Tierney leave. Havertz, Rice and Timber in. So all kinda like for like, depending on where Havertz plays.

I still think we need 3 or 4 more bodies to challenge on all fronts next season.

Just hoping we saved a little bit of cash for depth.

Cannon and ball and arsen’all

Depends on what formation we’re going to play. We may go similar to city this season. 3 2 4 1 – if this is the case we have good depth at all levels with these new additions. We have essentially discarded wide players for central players who can operate/drift wide – and we are stacked in that department now (timber, kwior, white, zinny, havertz, MO, ESR, Vieira all fall into this category). In the middle I expect we will have two ball players in rice and jorg/zinny/timber. Out wide we are reliant on Martinelli and Saka, but we do have… Read more »

A Different George

I think the 3-2-4-1 or whatever it was (it was really a back four–with all of them centre-halves out of possession) was entirely due to the presence of Haaland. There is nothing comparable for us.

goonshow

And you forgot Trosser – who can shift around all across the front

A Different George

I was surprised how highly James rated Timber. If we get him, we’ll have at least White, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Zinchenko, and Timber across the back four places, with lots of flexibility among them (assuming we lose Tierney and Holding). The front group–Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli, Trossard, Nketiah, Nelson, and Havertz–looks okay, even if we lose Eddie or Reiss (sure, I wouldn’t mind Balogun in the squad, but I think he will be sold). The centre is more in flux, but starting with Odegaard and Rice with Jorginho in reserve is not bad (with Elneny as a true squad… Read more »

Johnny 4 Hats

I get what you’re saying. But I just don’t think Arteta trusts all those players. For me, Eddie, Nelson, Vieira, Elneny and Smith Rowe aren’t starting CL or prem matches unless we are completely desperate. Tomiyasu is a real worry fitness-wise. Saliba is yet to prove his back issue is gone. Partey is obviously delicate. I don’t mean to be doom and gloom. But I still think we are short. In every season a club gets into a tough spot where 3 or 4 players are out. If we are fielding Fabio, Reiss and Elneny in a starting XI then… Read more »

gunnertacks

can we look to the academy for depth? balogun, patino, azeez, john-jules, others?

CLEGooner

Surely have to sell Flo now, right? I’d rather sell Eddie, but noyt sure we’d get much.

EmileSmithWhoa

Legit concern, I see it being addressed in 2 great ways. 1) Versatile players well versed in constantly flowing or starting in multiple positions. Look at the coming defensive flexibility! 2) Top youth development…Reiss Nelson, Marquinhos, Balogun, Smith Whoa, and others. We have several who will get opportunities, some moved on, 1-2 will likely emerge the next year and after. These two strategies are the only legit way to be world class without being puppets for the sportswashing we now see. Possible center backs…White, Gabby, Kiwior, Timber, Tomi, Saliba. Def. Midfield: Mo, Jorginho, Rice seems to be our only concern… Read more »

Jasonissimo

I won’t believe AFC is selling TP until it happens.

Nainsley Aitland Miles

And Munich will soon have the most expensive sugar kane.

Daveo

Well they’ll soon learn sugar Kane is just empty carbs

Domi

Hope he’ll be a dud for them, as that dirty cheat Mane

yes

If Kane leaves Spurs are we allowed to start acknowledging he’s an incredible player?

LEFT08

Nah.

Daveo

I’d raise that to a FUCK NAH!

Charlz

I see your fuck nah and raise you a Fucking Hell Nah

Daveo

Warranted.

Johnny 4 Hats

I might stop saying that he regularly needs to be attached to a drip to rehydrate from all the saliva he loses from his gaping, gormless mouth.

But that’s about the best I can do.

Arsenalista

He’s a professional fly catcher.

OdalGooner

No.

Nainsley Aitland Miles

Nein.

Paul

No way Kane could learn a foreign language.

Okester

He’s still trying to get to grips with English to be fair..

Charlz

Might be German is easier for him

Heavenly Chapecoense

Can money spent buying rice better used buying sugar cane?

Teryima Adi

Love the pun.😄

Qwaliteee

Have a cigar. 😊👍

jeremy

I have a feeling this is a decision made by the player rather than City refusing to throw more money at it.

Tobi6footplus

I agree and if that’s the case good on the lad. I’ve never understood the argument that Rice going to city is a bigger challenge than coming to The Arsenal. I think most of these so called pundits don’t appreciate the pressure that comes from a fan base expecting to see a £100 million player push the team to win trophies. Rice playing for city has minimal bearing on them winning trophies and they barely have fans anyway.

John C

But how does Rice improve City?

He’s not a replacement for Gundogan or De Bruyne he’s most like Rodri, so where are the gains.

If Rice is honest with himself would he think that he’s the difference between City getting 89 points this season and 95 next? I can’t see it, but i can see how he improves and adds points on Arsenal’s 85 point total.

Same goes for Havertz and Timber, i see how they add to our team and the potential marginal gains.

Johnny 4 Hats

I think Pep was going to invert him.

He inverts everything.

Even his own penis.

Giuseppe Hovno

Very valid point

Qwaliteee

“So so so so nice…”

😂 😂

meletios

@Johnny 4 hats…
Lol.. very undervalued comment.
Just for this please increase the no of hats…you deserve it.

Vin_unleaded

He’s even inverted his hair follicles.

jw1

‘… so where are the gains.

By subtraction. If City had Rice, we wouldn’t.
Possible that might worth £90M over 5yrs to City– if Arsenal take a few trophies off them.

John C

How would City sell that to Rice?

goonshow

very telling point

Cannon and ball and arsen’all

Very valid point – although given city’s tweak in system with Stones alongside Rodri at DCM with 3 CB’s, they could have potentially accommodated Rice and dropped stones back to CB. With our signings I am sensing a city style 3 2 4 1 formation incoming – with Timber/ white/ saliba/ Gabriel/ kwior/ Tomi occupying the defensive spots, Zinny / Rice / Jorg / Timber covering the two DCM spots and then two no.10s out of MO/ Havertz / ESR / Vieira; two wingers who can defend in Saka and Martinelli then GJ up top.. we also have the players… Read more »

Domi

And there are Rodri and Phillips, rodri plays every match so where would he fit in that disgusting team…

karl g

We shouldn’t flatter ourselves too much. If Citey were a London club, then it might be different.

I miss santi cazorla

Sign Lavia AND keep partey for one more season

We would be a bit overstocked with DM’s; Rice, Thomas, Lavia, Jorginho, Elneny.

Presumably Lokonga doesn’t have a future at the club.

Martin R

Partey is still a great player and yes I totally agree we should keep him. We need strength in depth

Badaab

Lokonga isn’t a 6, he’s an 8.
Elneny is injured and likely to take half a year to rehab.

Domi

Sign Lavia and sell Partey, especially if he’ll have some legal problems in the future, my opinion

Ebo

As much as I’d love that I think it’s either Partey or Lavia at this point, financially we just don’t have endless resources. The club just spent 105m on a midfielder and 65m on another player, the least we can do is be grateful for that and not keep asking endlessly for more and more as if nothing’s ever enough for us fans

Mootilated

Great. Fantastic signing and really shows we mean business going forward.

That being said. We just spent 105m on a football player. That combined with the fact that we finished second last season (while being first for so long) will only raise the expectations of the club.

Let’s do this!

Thierry Bergkamp (non negotiable)

Yep, this shows that The Arsenal, are acting like a big club again.
Mikel has transformed the club

LEFT08

Huge deal, well done to everyone involved! Arsenal well and truly back now, showing ambition and real intent. Exciting times.

Qwaliteee

Yes! 😊👍🍺

I miss santi cazorla

I observed one thing with this platform that if you type the name of our number six, your comment waits for the approval.

guy who mistakes the number 6 for the number 15

jakub kiwior

Public Elneny

Gabriel Magalhaes?

Jimbo1

Gabriel

Parteylikeits2001

Do you mean number 5? Due to my name, it gets sent for approval each time

George Peace

Do you mean Tommy Party?

Eric Blair

Tony Adams?

Just seeing if Phomas Tartey passes the test…

Ebo

Weird but I think you’re right, this literally just happened to me responding to your comment above

Sam

Thomas Partey

Haybe

Tomáš Rosický

Pat Fried Rice with Egg

Michael Thomas

Glenn Helder's Perm

Everything I write gets sent for approval and I don’t know why. It’s a shame because I’d love to comment more, but having to pass some arbitrary security check each and every time just kills the vibe and makes me not want to contribute. Been reading/commenting for 15 years or more.

Anyway, excited for this deal. It’s a big price but I think he’ll be worth it.

I miss santi cazorla

You must have talked some sh*t on here. The website recognized you by your username and ip address combination.
So even if you use a new username and id it will still ban you by recognizing the device.

If you use a new device to comment on here by using the old username/ id it would recognize you AND will put your new device on the approval list.

So the solution is – get a new device and a new username and email.

chepetin

That’s a workaround, not a solution!

And it’s an expensive one.

chepetin

Is it possible that it could be your username?

You’ve got the word sperm in it.

Much like sites used to sensor anyone who mentioned they were from Scunthorpe because it’s got a bad word in it.

George Peace

Wenger in 2015: “Look. There is a player who just joined West Ham’s youth academy from Chelsea. We came close to signing him but didn’t finish. I believe in 8 years he will be a top, top player so, this window, I only buy Petr Cech so that Arsenal will have the finances to compete for his signature in 2023”.
Arsene knows.

Pat Fried Rice with Egg

Wenger sold Fabregas so that Arsenal would buy Arteta and Barca would sell Fab to Chelsea so that Arsenal can buy Cech so that Arteta would have the money to buy Rice.

Arsene Wenger masterclass.

TeeCee

Mental note: Never play chess with Arsene Wenger.

Jack

I hope we never have negotiate with West Ham again

Mick Malthouse

We sold them Freddie when his body was shot. Wrighty also. Perhaps we are even?

Eric Blair

Only if they take Pepe, Cedric, and Runnarsson, then I can forgive them.

jw1

Strikers are in short supply. We have two that would fit them nicely.
Maybe Edu recoups some of this huge fee?

goonshow

Yep – I’m surprised, after WH’s talk of a ‘player-plus’ possibility, that we didn’t throw Eddie into the mix?

Heavenly Chapecoense

I think Pepe can be a good squad player for them and even more if he regains his confidence. In fact why wouldn’t the same principles that made us buy Havertz (his past in Germany and specific attributes) apply to Pepe?

Iain

And lucas perez. They did us a solid

Qwaliteee

Rubbish.

We have just invested in the future captain of England and a vital part of the spine of this team for years to come has a world class player.

Nainsley Aitland Miles

They can have Holding for £20m. The fee must be paid in full before the next episode of Eastenders.

Teryima Adi

😄

beNZed

“West Ham want the 100m (!!!) paid within 8 months”.

Actual lol. Fucking amateurs. This is what you have to deal with when buying a player from a club used to dealing in transfers of 5-10 million tops.

Well done Edu 👊

Ebo

This makes me think they might be on the verge of bankrupcy and need this money to stay afloat, you have to be either desperate or cheeky as hell to ask for such terms. “We want the 105 million in unmarked one thousand pound bills split into 80 black gym bags which you will carry into London Stadium and place on the pitch in a pile sculpted to look like David Sullivan’s stupid smug face”

Badaab

There have been some questions over solvency since David gold died

Gooner7190

They’ve also been trying to get that Czech bloke to invest & eventually take over the club for the best part of a year

MrSymes

I’ve always felt like games are won and lost in midfield. That’s probably my bias as an Arsenal fan because of how we play. And yet the midfield never seems to have had as much investment as other areas. Like lots of people I’ve got hesitations over the price, but I don’t think there’s much risk of getting Pepe’d on this. He’s a known quantity and I suspect a big part of the cost is his mentality: he seems very tenacious even when losing. I’ve got a “right player, right position, right time” feeling about this. Let’s hope it goes… Read more »

Eric Blair

Me too. The ‘fit’ seems so right it’s off the scale and I think that’s why we’re do prepared to put the cash down.

Qwaliteee

Man, just imagine Rice linking up with Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli.

And people worry about the fucking money……

Gooner7190

We’ve basically sorted our starting midfield for the next 10 years with the signings of Rice & Havertz, now just to wrap up a new contract for Ødegaard

Qwaliteee

Which should now be a mere formality.

Very shrewd move of you not wanting to sign a new contract, Mr Balogun – and being part of a long term success with this team.

Very shrewd.

😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

Daveo

Seriously, football is still played on the pitch and teams with the best players win. We signed a world class player that undoubtedly improves the team. The rest of it is just greedy rich fucks shuffling gold plated deck chairs. This makes us a better team. End of…

goonshow

I also think he has an Arteta-mentality as a player… no b/s, tenacious, super-focused and always gives 110%. No wonder Mik rates him and he likes Mik – have a sneaky feeling that he will become a serious great at Arsenal, due in no small part to Arteta bringing the best out of him.

Salibas bank account

But our first bid was turned down! So embarrassing and not at all how negotiating works. #EduOut

Qwaliteee

Yeah, we can all give it the big one with hindsight. Listen mate, due to our lowballing and failed bids being made public knowledge by West Ham we have subsequently been one stupidly massive City bid from losing this guy. Had we bid £100m in the first place, the past week’s flirtation with City potentially turning Rice’s head and us missing out could have avoided. At the time of writing, the deal still isn’t over the line and if it does happen, then Edu and Co deserve great credit. But the fact remains that we went about it in an… Read more »

Heavenly Chapecoense

Rice will sign and say: “It was always going to be Arsenal for me anyway”.
Lol, did you say it to Man City before their bid?

Ron

No. That’s why they pulled out. Rice told them he only wanted Arsenal.

Matt

Our first bid was irrelevant. West Ham would have waited to see what City were going to do, even if we bid €120m right out of the gate. They knew Gundogan might be leaving, so they would have waited for that no matter what. If we’d bid £80m, or £180m, the smart thing for West Ham to do would have been wait to see if City would bid more. They have infinite money, if they wanted to out bid us, they would.

Orion

Don’t know how people are missing the very obvious sarcasm here.

Ja Ja Sir No Goals

Let’s do this!

Chipper49

‘Dis’ surely sir?

John

Huge news if true. Are Arsenal becoming the Bank of England Club again, like in the 1930s when they went on to dominate the league until the outbreak of WWII?

Eric Blair

I think so, and we’ll almost certainly dominate the league until the outbreak of WWIII.

Eric Blair

I think so, and we’ll almost certainly dominate the league until the outbreak of World War 3.

Eric Blair

‘Awaiting Approval’, but I didn’t mention the ‘P’ word. Am I on the naughty step Andrew?

Eric Blair

Curious, whatever the key words that get you modded are.

chepetin

I just typed them all in in a post but it is still awaiting moderation…

Pat Rice and Beans

Should I change my alias to Declan Rice and Beans?

Jokes aside, it’s good to see AFC beating the likes of City and Bayern to sign reinforcements. I was sceptic Edu & board could pull this one since oiled funded City had entered the race, but well done – a potential captain for ages.

jw1

Upvoted. Also, yes make the change.
Timing is everything!

onenil

I know the amount of money is ridiculous, but this is as near a dead certainty in a critical position as you can buy.

Remember Man U spent £89 M on Pogba, £80M on Maguire, 95M euro on Anthony amongst others. And that’s before talking about the money Chelsea have pissed down the drain recently. Mudryk was £88.5M!

Qwaliteee

With the exception of Mudryk (who will flourish under Poch) all the United players you mention there were absolute shite before United signed them.

The only reason we’re now having to cough up so much for Rice is United paying a world class fee for a bang average Anthony.

BillyKrystal

Ahh babee Qwalitee is content now that he has his pacifier and bottle. Incredible what a couple weeks can do isn’t it! And weren’t you fucking off until the community shield 🥹🥹🥹

Matt

I really hope they try to buy Eddie from us now. £101m over 17 months please.

OdalGooner

I’d take 60 but only if it is over 20 minutes.
No, they’re entitled to hold out for as much as they can. We’re regulary pissed that we don’t get more for ours.

Ebo

Good. Hopefully he’s able to pass the ball around

Ebo

Looks like some here don’t get irony 🙂

Ebo

Unless the downvotes themselves are ironic, in which case I have to hand it to you! Beaten at my own game, touché old sports

jw1

“…even for cheats.”

Now if we can get that etched in stone by the FA and PL– we’ll be cooking with fire.

Gunn Cabinet

Gazzumped

BillyKrystal

Unbelievable news. Now just imagine the announcement if we can do all three. They can do a full on training session during the photo shoot! Bed them in early!

BillyKrystal

Apparently Havertz announcement video already leaked. Missed opportunity imo. Announcing all 3 together would’ve been so epic. Although maybe better to do it individually and give them each the spotlight, especially for our record signing!

Ebo

Havertz is already done, the other two aren’t and will probably take a week or two to announce IF they get over the line. It’s unfair to both Haverz and the team to wait that long.

BillyKrystal

You’re right it’s just wishful thinking, Havertz has been done since last week. They can still always do a little promo thing with all the new signings together: This will be the landmark transfer season of our entire history, might as well milk it! And I love rubbing it in other clubs faces lol

Dada

MCFC are dispecable.

Qwaliteee

Cannot wait for the Community Shield where we get down to proving it…..

Haybe

Ladies and gentlemen, we should have relegated West Ham when we went 2-0 up in their place, but instead, we gave them the spirit of survival they needed to salvage their season, and here they are, fleecing us—the ungrateful whims.

Gooner7190

Their fans are all over Twitter playing the “rivalry” card. Lads, we don’t give a shit about you, only time we care about you is when we’re looking for the home fixture between us to see when we’re getting our regularly scheduled 3 points off ya

chepetin

And of course when they beat Chelsea or Sp*rs

Stonks

Did man city pulled out as I do when in bed with my girlfriend?

Eric Blair

Come on mate, that isn’t a ‘girlfriend’.

Arron

Fucking mad. What that money could do in this world. Um, oh well, let’s do this? Slow cooking rice as our base, dig it. Future England captain: watch all the 50/50 decisions go our way! We’re all just neurotic apes, really 🙂

Haybe

Ramsdale, White, Rice, Saka, ESR — that’s 5 of the England first XI in the next Euros. The FA should be pleased now.

CLEGooner

As The Mooney Suzuki told us in 2004:
“We’re just fancy animals with hands”

Red Arrow

Not sure how happy I am about this given the amount. Anyway let’s see how he does.

Shirish

That’s a massive and statement signing. Gone are the old days where club used to sell its best players

Hantal

The only worry I have is the ins and outs leave us with a similar squad size for a lot more games

Daniel

Starting to think city got into this race in order to make us not strengthen in other areas.

Dr. Gooner

Fantastic statement of intent from the club, truly dining at the top table now. This will be a transformational signing.

Vaibhav Pandey

You need high profile players with big heart to get over the fine margins. I agree, he is not a huge upgrade on maybe a 50-60 million player but he can shift the needle in crunch situations. That’s what we need in this team. Getting to 90 is easy, going 90 to a full 100 is tough as hell and he will atleast put us closer to that.

He’s got no hair but we don’t care...

Very glad to hear Rice wanted to go to The Arsenal all along but wonder why this couldn’t have been used to knock some £Ms off the price?
Yes, yes I know that effectively WH hold most of the cards but you’d think £100M plus the player wanting to join us & not the oil money, would have been enough, rather than adding another £5M on the pile!

CLEGooner

I just don’t think that’s how it works, He may have wanted to play at Arsenal (but honestly, how can we know), but he’d be insane to turn down city. And Wham are making the decision ultimately.

I thinkl Edu has such a hard job. We have a bid rejected and everyone is all “ARRRGH! Just offer 150M” Then we get him and it’s “ARRRGH! He’s never worth THAT”

CLEGooner

Timing of the payment has FFP implications, correct? I mean at least for clubs who don’t have a Pertrostate pumping in crazy sponsor cash…

Blackpool Albert

Damn. When Silent Stan jumps in, he does so with both feet and a fooking flamethrower! Who does he think we are? Arselona? 😉

Badaab

might be daddy’s money, but this deal has josh written all over it.

Commonfolk

Hope the gamble, and it is gamble works out. The Rice and Harvertz pairing could be inspirational on paper. A friend, a big Chelsea fan has consistently stated that Havertz has been consistently underutilised, and would be ideal in the Xhaka role if he could add some steel to his approach. Exciting times and hopefully an upgrade on what we have.

Mark

Would be a great Summer if we get Havertz, Timber and Rice in with another central midfielder potentially. Havertz likely slots into Xhaka’s spot and Rice in Partey’s and I guess Timber would compete with White for a starting spot? Of course we need quality depth to compete in the CL and for the PL title, but you don’t pay the amount of money we are for these players without them being looked at as starters. That would give us Jorginho, Trossard, ESR, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Nelson, Viera, etc. as options off of the bench (with the futures of Nketiah, Tierney,… Read more »

Master Floda

City should now go and offer the exact same amount for Caicedo that Chelsea submitted, just to annoy the shit out of them as well

Andy

Edu needs to sell players with good valuation to balance the books. Recently sales have been nothing but atrocious. We gave Auba to Barca for free and they managed to sell Auba to Chelsea for £12m, 6 months later. Now Chelsea is offloading Auba to Saudi Arabia for at least the same amount of cash. Seriously you can do much better than just saving on Auba’s salary, Edu?

Ealing

BBC says deal agreed

Arsenio

170m for new, excellent, midfielders, noice!

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