Mikel Arteta’s new revelation about Declan Rice’s Arsenal move will cut West Ham fans deep and confirm suspicions.
Just because West Ham fans knew for a long time that Declan Rice would be leaving them in the summer did not make his move to London rivals Arsenal any easier to take.
The Gunners paid what was a record £105m for the Hammers captain in a move that many West Ham fans have found hard to stomach.
While there is no great rivalry between West Ham and Arsenal, Hammers supporters made it clear they would have found it much more palatable had Rice joined Manchester City or a foreign club.
Man City did bid for Rice but rumours then it emerged that he ‘only wanted Arsenal’.
In the summer a Sky Sports reporter claimed Rice had his heart set on a move to the Emirates since February and particularly the prospect of working with Mikel Arteta.
And talkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy revealed that during a chance meeting at a cafe, Rice told him he was ‘buzzing’ at the prospect of joining Arsenal and thought Arteta was ‘magic’.
The claims that Rice had been privately discussing and contemplating a move to Arsenal before last summer angers Hammers fans.
So Arteta’s new revelation about Rice’s Arsenal move will cut West Ham fans deep.
In comments posted on X by reporter Fabrizio Romano, Arteta revealed Rice was desperate to join Arsenal and pushed hard to make it happen.
“When I spoke to Declan Rice, he mentioned to me many times from day one: ‘I just want to play for Arsenal and I want to play with you’,” Arteta said.
“He maintained his word to the last moment and we were good enough to acquire him.”
Kai Havertz recently revealed Rice was talking to him about them both joining Arsenal long before his move happened.
What’s done is done and there was – amid some jeers – a mutual appreciation between Rice and West Ham fans when he returned with the Gunners last month.
It’s no less disappointing to hear, though.
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