A pathetic £25m Arsenal “offer” to West Ham has fallen flat on its face after somehow making national headlines this week.
Historically there has not been much transfer business done between West Ham and Arsenal down the years.
And there has never been any great rivalry between the Hammers and Gunners either.
That changed in the summer, though, when West Ham captain Declan Rice pushed for a move to Arsenal – being sold in what was a record £105m deal for a matter of weeks.
Many believed Arsenal were overpaying for the Hammers talisman. But West Ham fans – like manager David Moyes – knew they were getting value for money.
£25m Arsenal “offer” to West Ham
Among those questioning the fee were legions of Arsenal fans, many of whom were insisting Thomas Partey was a better player than Rice last season.
As West Ham fans will be well aware, Rice scored a last gasp winner for Mikel Arteta’s side in a 4-3 victory at Luton which leaves them top of the Premier League table.
That resulted in some Arsenal fans goading their West Ham counterparts on social media.
One Gunners fan went to new lengths to antagonise the Hammers, though.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise £25m for Arsenal to give to West Ham after “under paying” for Rice.
Goading taken to new levels but falls flat on its face
“In light of the unfortunate robbery of West Ham United, we are asking Arsenal fans to come together to raise funds for West Ham United to compensate the underpayment of Declan Rice,” the page states.
“It has become evident in the last 15 weeks that Edu and Arsenal were the beneficiaries of a £25,000,000 underpayment to West Ham United.”
The page somehow made headlines in national media outlets in what we can only assume has been a slow news week.
But the pathetic £25m Arsenal “offer” to West Ham has fallen flat on its face.
Had the insulting crowdfunding page taken off and got a large number of donations it would have given it some credibility.
Not a very princely sum for Arsenal’s new prince
It would have added further weight to the debate the Arsenal had somehow “had West Ham’s eyes out” over Rice.
But despite coverage designed to mock little old West Ham in the likes of The Daily Mail and The Sun and others – the £25m fundraiser to donate to the Hammers has generated the princely sum of £35.
Seven donations totalling the pathetic amount have left the Gunners fans involved with egg on their faces.
Why some at Arsenal seem so obsessed with painting Rice out to be a bargain is anyone’s guess.
Perhaps it is the years of being fiercely and somewhat bizarrely proud of their frugality under Arsene Wenger that’s made them this way, now they have been left with little option but to join Europe’s silly spenders because they can’t beat them?
The irony of Arsenal fans trying to convince West Ham of Rice’s worth is not lost on the Hammers, who spent all summer defending his valuation to the Gunners.
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