Arsenal have completed the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United for a club-record fee that could total as much as £105 million.
In a statement on the West Ham website, the Hammers state they “can confirm that agreement has been reached for Declan Rice to leave the Club for a British record transfer fee.”
Joint-chairman David Sullivan adds: “Declan will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Hammers fans and everyone here at the Club. We wish him well for the future and he will always be an inspiration and an example to any young player coming through our Academy.”
For whatever petty reason, West Ham have chosen not to mention that their former captain is moving to Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners had an offer accepted by the Hammers at the third time of asking after seeing off competition from Manchester City.
There was a fair bit of wrangling over the payment terms but the two clubs got there in the end with the majority of the fee being paid within the first two years of the England international’s five-year contract.
The deal has been in the pipeline for some time with news breaking in January that Mikel Arteta and Edu had identified the midfielder as their number-one target for the summer. Along the way, Manchester United and Bayern Munich did their best to lure him elsewhere but it was always reported that he favoured Arsenal.
Rice’s arrival, in tandem with the recruitment of Kai Havertz from Chelsea, meant the Gunners were able to sanction Granit Xhaka’s move to Bayer Leverkusen.
In total, Rice made 245 appearances for West Ham, scoring 15 goals and making 13 assists. In his final match for the club, he captained them to glory in the UEFA Conference League, sealing their first major trophy since 1980.
Rice started his career at Chelsea before climbing through the ranks in the East End to make his debut in 2017. A year later he featured for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly but later switched international allegiance to England. He’s since played 43 times for the Three Lions and started every match in Euro 2020 and last year’s World Cup.
Arsenal had hoped Rice would be available for the training camp in Germany but the final paperwork took longer than anticipated. On the plus side, he will be part of the squad that travels to the USA on Sunday.
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Well that’s a surprise. Who saw that coming? Get in!!!
Well, apparently our bids were embarrassing. And our slowness was embarrassing. And then our contract signing was embarrassing.
But we still got your best player!
So do one.
Never really cared about WHU but I dislike them a little bit more after this endless leaking saga.
Ah well. We can forget they exist again now.
Welcome to Arsenal, Deccy!!!
Agreed – not a club I’d love for us to need to negotiate with again. While you can’t begrudge them wanting to get the best deal for their captain, all this stuff after the deal was agreed just looks pathetic on their front. We’re spending £105m on a player, if we want to take our time to ensure everything is legally as watertight as possible, we will do so.
I actually think they’ve been quite disrespectful this whole saga. The constant running off to Fabrizio every time something happened was pretty pathetic. The bids were leaked almost as soon as they came in. And why? City know we are trying to sign him. West Ham could even drop them a line to say that arsenal have bid. They made everything public while publicly criticising us along the way. They dragged it out as best they could and then blamed us for dragging it out. And then to leave our names off the announcement. It’s just small club behaviour. They… Read more »
This was their first sale of this magnitude, they had no idea how to act. Bunch of tin pot wankers.
Seems we pissed them off by stalling over the dotted “I”a and crossed “t”s, so that’s a nice touch. Suffer in your jocks WHU. Well at least they have their conference intertoto Mickey mouse backup joke of a trophy.
Fabrizio. Before all of us 😅
LANNS – Like a new new signing
People keep talking about the price and all but this is how I’m looking at it. After all the times we have lost our stars just because we weren’t in position to be competitive enough in the market for once we came to the part and left with the prettiest girl. And that just sits right with me. I hear Mike Dean has left too don’t see anything stopping us. COYG
Who?
Wow! Totally out of the blue this one! Welcome to the Red side of London. Any thoughts on who he will be his midfield partner in crime if Partey leaves?
I really hope we keep TP but I’m not sure he and Rice fit into the same team when you consider Odegaard and Havertz as #8’s further forward.
Who knows, exciting times.
It might bolster the squad and provide a smoother transition if we keep TP for another season. Let’s face it – he is an elite player, but lacks the fitness/ consistency to be trusted over the course of an entire season. I can’t see us getting Lavia as well this window; then again, this window is blowing my expectations out of the water!
I can see us picking up Lavia at the end of the window if he’s available, the price is right and we get some movement on the exit door for some of our players. We have purchased three players who will be in the first 11 rotation, any others that come in will be for the future and squad depth. We will be better than last season. COYFG!!!!!
Both Havertz and Rice won’t even need to move house to join us. This will help them integrate into the Arsenal family even more quickly. Very wise strategy by Edu and Arteta.
I believe and hope that we are playing Cruyff/Barca 4-3-3, not 4-2-3-1, the ugly Mourinhoesque formation, so Rice will be our defensive linchpin with Emile or Kai on the left and Odegaard on the right, in front of Rice, as attacking minded CMs.
Done. Next sell well and get a striker for plan B.
Jesus, Nketiah, and Balogun.
I don’t reckon we need a 4th striker.
I believe one of Nketiah or Balogun will leave in this window.
Hopefully nketia
Balogun seems more versatile and offers something different from Eddie. That’s who I would keep but I understand the club needs to recoup some of the outlay spent already.
We also have Kai, Martinelli and trossard that can all play a role in need/different look. I doubt we sign a striker tbh.
Kane?
Nah, while I respect the talent, he is just too old for the project we are building. so getting the guy would reek of pettiness and spite. And if dealing with West Ham was bad, then Spurs and Levy would be a while different level.
sorry, whole.
he’d also demand stupid money and a long contract, neither of which would be beneficial to any domestic team looking to add him to their side (which is why i hope he signs an extension for like 5 years and 400k a week, it will absolutely wreck them)
OMG!? Holy shit, this is like Sol all over again, a bolt from the blue, a transfer nobody could have seen coming! Hooray!
#RiceToMeetYouDeclan
Great to see the confirmation through. Bit of a lack of class from West Ham in the end though on their statement for us having met all their conditions on a record transfer.
West Ham have no class so they don’t know any better.
Hopefully, West Ham will realise how childish and petty they’ve been and make up for it by giving us all six points this season.
I mean, it’s not like we weren’t going to take them anyway, but it’s the thought that counts.
Get in! Love how petty West Ham are about this- looking forward to our traditional 3-1 wim against them next season.
Now that we have Rice, it will probably be 3-0
It will be 4-0 because you take the West Ham obligatory goal and give it to Arsenal.
Especially considering the goodbye video of Timber that Ajax put forward. It was lovely of them to get that arsenal kit on the kid showing exactly what we will be getting from him . I guess thats just the difference between a big club and a small club !
Even though we all knew it was coming, it’s good to finally have it done.
Will we need more backup in midfield? Ødegaard’s knock in Nürnberg made me a bit worried.
Never do business with West Ham again.
They don’t have anyone else worth buying anyway
Bowen is pretty good player…
They only have one interesting player a decade, hence why their actions over this were so amateurish. Don’t forget their previous record contract was the purchase of seventeen new IKEA chairs for the conference room, so it’s nosebleed territory for them here unfortunately.
I agree with what everyone has said about West Ham’s behaviour, but I assume that there is a good relationship at the managerial level. Arteta was Moyes’ captain.
Rice to meet you, and welcome to *not West Ham*…
Technically we only know for certain that Rice is officially leaving West Ham. No news on where he is going yet. I for one will be waiting with baited breath. 🤞 it’s Arsenal.
Like a new signing
As Pep might say, “so, so like a new signing.”
Oh man, this is huge. We’ve accomplished securing the services of a potentially WC player and we’ve shown the capabilities of our spending power.
We’re heading to a new golden era, folks!
Ricey Rice Baby!!!!!
Not been announced on arsenal.com
David Sullivan stays being petty. What a surprise.
Picture of Rice in arsenal shirt or it didn’t happen
It’s on Arsenal.com
Calling the conferene league a “major trophy” is a bit generous but why not, we’re obviously in a generous mood! Arsenal breaking the transfer record, who would’ve thunk it? Well done to everyone for getting this done so quickly
Arsenal Fc have just been TimberRiced in 24 hours. Congratulations to everyone connected to the club.
I am convinced Arsenal with mark the 20th anniversary of The Invincibles with the league title.
COYG!!!
Irish eyes are smiling
Extra petty of them to announce it 1st thing in the morning to try to steal the shine away from the arsenal announcement.
i get your point, but i actually think it’s a nice way to do things. if saka was leaving the club i’d like him to say goodbye to us before he’s announced in another club. it’s a small detail that shows big respect towards his previous club and doesn’t take any shine away from a record fee imo.
Welcome
Feel like this is our biggest signing since Ozil (maybe bigger), and biggest English signing since the Sol man
Delighted is an understatement
i actually thought it was a class touch from them not to mention us in their statement, same as declan not doing so. it’s our most expensive signing ever, we deserve the right to announce it in our own terms. i do think it’s kinda lame having to read all this hate against west ham tho, especially on this website. people pretending to know anything about how the move happened, talking shit about another club and then dare to complain about a lack of class. kinda funny actually. let’s just be happy about the outcome of this all and focus… Read more »
You are kinda right but I guess it also not necessary to stand on such moral high ground and chastise us…. It is just some fun and after all, this move has been such highly anticipated and waited for so long….. I guess some slacks can be cut?!
The wisest comment here, we really don’t know what transpired and I for one did not find anything problematic with them not mentioning he’s moving to join us…
Appreciation to everyone in the club involved in these 3 signings. They set their targets and came back with the hunt. Chapeau.
Welcome Jesus chRICEst!
make like a frog and
Who’s have thought spending £100 million would be such a long and complicated process
Finally Rice is ready to be served! COYG! And comparing to what Ajax did for Timber’s departure….. ummm…. WHU… not even want to compare now….😏
Welcome Dec to the best club in the world.
I am glad this saga is finally over.
At least WHU could have acted professional instead of making themselves the center of attention.
It went live at 1:00pm on arsenal’s YouTube channel
Out of the blue!
You have chosen wisely Declan!
Mjaaauuuw!!!
LANS
It took us forever and we flew way too close to the sun at times but that no longer matters; it’s finally done.
Congratulations Arteta, Josh and Edu. We FINALLY got there….sheeesh!!
Welcome Declan. You’re at a big club now son. League titles, the lot.
The hair shirt mob are very quiet today…
“He’s not worth it!”
”Just because he’s English!”
And my favourite –
”There’s LOADS of other players just as good going cheaper.”
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
No there aren’t.
COYG
Yes, continue to embarrass yourself by reminding everyone of your babies tantrum that went on for DAYS. Like a snot nosed child shrieking in a toy store because they didn’t get a stuffy. But no you’re right, it wasn’t your irrational behavior and impatience that was the issue, it was your legions of detractors trying to tear you down. Sure enough, Qwalitees come through looking like a genius!! You can’t keep this guy down! He’s so stupid and delusional he just makes it up on his head!
Fresh fish anyone? 😂
Don’t be a knob, Qwalitee.
Oh I’m sorry, I was forgetting.
You lot can dish it out, but can’t take any back.
Liked the video of our 2 new signings being introduced to the players.
Three top internationals in and one older one out
Perhaps one more signing but great business
What is great is that top players really want to play in this young squad under Arteta
Would have been nice to have gotten both Timber and Rice in a week earlier to have taken part in the first two friendlies, but great they can both go on the US tour not just to play, but to also begin bonding with their new teammates. Now we need to focus on making some good sales and get some of the players that have no role to play this year like Cedric, Pepe, Holding, etc. off of the books. Unless we are going to bring in another CM that can play in the def mid position would like to… Read more »