Transfer News: Rice signs for Arsenal
Declan Rice has been an Arsenal player for a few days now.
Arsenal announced they had signed Rice from West Ham in club-record £105m deal.
The midfielder's move is a record transfer fee between two British clubs. He becomes Arsenal's third summer signing to take Gunners' spending to £208m; Rice signs five-year deal at Arsenal. What impact will the transfer have on both clubs?
The Arsenal fans are happy
We spoke with Peter, an Arsenal Season Ticket holder, spoke about the benefits of the signing: "Declan Rice could be a colossus of the modern game even in this age of mega-athletes. With superb timing, an eye for space that opens up the pitch, and the ability to hit long or short killer passes, he has unmatched power combined with superb timing. Arteta and staff will also turn him into a monster scorer in the penalty box."
Georgina was delighted with the signing. She said: "It is great that we finally got the deal done to sign Declan Rice, time will tell if he can live up to the price tag, but I think he will be well worth it and his best years are yet to come in football, great signing showing our intentions going forward in this league."
Declan Rice ✖️ Arsenal. 🔴⚪️pic.twitter.com/09Bv31vdV4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 15, 2023
George was also happy but believes the transfer has increased expectation at Arsenal, and he's not sure that's a good thing: "This is a clear signal of intent from Arsenal and the board. It will be interesting to see how we respond to the increased expectation. Suddenly, after Man City, we'll be the team to beat during this upcoming season."
The West Ham perspective
Peter said: "It is difficult to see our Captain in an Arsenal shirt, but we have to look forward and find a suitable replacement quickly. Pay the money for James Ward-Prowse, Amrabat, or Paulinho and a decent forward."
Darren said: “It’s going to be a difficult balance act, along with finding another quality midfield anchor, hopefully with Premier League pedigree, as well as finding quality players to boost the squad without overpaying, even though everyone knows we have the money from December. The biggest needs for our team are a striker and an attacking midfielder."
Declan Rice has penned an open letter to West Ham fans.
— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 15, 2023
This was the open letter that Rice penned to the West Ham United fans. JimmyHammer tweeted in response: "That was written by a man who certainly seems very genuine in his love of West Ham."
Rich Bream added: "Imagine if every player behaved the way Declan Rice has when it comes to getting a move from their current club. Acted with class and dignity."
