Declan Rice left West Ham United to join Arsenal in the summer, and now Kai Havertz has opened a can of worms about the big-money transfer.
Arsenal duo Kai Havertz and Declan Rice both moved to the Emirates in the summer transfer window, from Chelsea and West Ham respectively.
READ ALSO: Declan Rice shares 1 main thing that’s changed about him since moving to Arsenal from West Ham
The Germany international has struggled to make an impact with the Gunners so far, whilst the Englishman has hit the ground running, just like everyone expected him to do.
Since Dec left the Hammers, he has received a mixed reaction from the London Stadium faithful, although he did send a lengthy message of thanks to the West Ham fans after we beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup earlier this month.
There are some Hammers fans who cannot abide the 24-year-old for leaving us to join a London rival club, whilst some refuse to buckle, and regard him as a legend for what he did for us. In truth, I think that somewhere in between those two trains of thought is the best place to be.
However, an admission just made by Havertz will undoubtedly tip the scales in the favour of those who vilify the midfielder…
Kai Havertz makes Declan Rice admission
In my view, the Germany international, 24, has really spoken out of turn about Rice, and his move to Arsenal in the summer.
Havertz suggested that he spoke to Dec about joining the Gunners in the summer, when speaking to Arsenal’s official website:
“From outside, Arsenal always looked like a family. That’s the feeling I got when playing. And when I joined, that was exactly what it was like, and the staff are really nice too – and that makes life easier for a new player.”
“Before I joined, I spoke a lot with Declan Rice as well, who I know through Mason Mount. For me it was very easy to come into the team because there are so many young players. I’ve played against a lot of them already so I know them from the pitch, and I have found it easy to make friends here. Hopefully it will continue like this.”
Here’s the problem though. Havertz joined Arsenal on the 29th of June, in a £65 million deal (Sky Sports), whilst Rice didn’t complete his £105 million transfer to the Gunners until nearly three weeks later on July 17th (Sky Sports).
So what on earth was Dec doing trying to sell a move to Arsenal to Kai Havertz, when he was officially still a West Ham player?
If I’m being honest, it absolutely stinks to me, and the Hammers fans who have staunchly defended Rice will surely now see why so many have a problem with him.
Kai Havertz probably shouldn’t have said anything about Declan Rice, and how he helped convince him to move to the Emirates.
The German’s comments prove that Rice was in cahoots with the Gunners whilst he was still being paid a wage at the London Stadium. And that is quite simply unacceptable as far as I’m concerned.
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