Arsenal signs Declan Rice from West Ham for a deal worth a reported $138 million
LONDON — England midfielder Declan Rice joined Arsenal for a deal value a reported 105 million kilos ($138 million) on Saturday, ending his nine-year affiliation with West Ham.
The payment wasn’t formally introduced by both membership, however West Ham mentioned the 24-year-old Rice was transferring for a British-record switch payment.
Arsenal is reportedly paying an preliminary payment of 100 million kilos, plus add-ons. That preliminary payment is similar because the British-record sum that Manchester City paid Aston Villa for Jack Grealish in 2021.
Another England midfielder, Jude Bellingham, joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund this offseason in a deal that might attain greater than $139 million.
It is an announcement signing by Arsenal after a season which noticed the membership narrowly miss out on the Premier League title however re-establish itself as a pressure in England beneath Mikel Arteta.
In a message from Rice to West Ham followers, he mentioned it was a “tough” resolution pushed by his “ambition to play at the very highest level of the game.”
“Playing on the opposite team to West Ham for the first time will be an unusual experience,” Rice mentioned. “I’m not sure yet exactly how I will feel, but I also know you will all understand and respect that my professional loyalties have to now lie with my new club.”
Rice will successfully change Granit Xhaka in Arsenal’s midfield choices, with the Switzerland worldwide having joined Bayer Leverkusen final week.
Rice can play as a midfield anchorman or as a box-to-box participant, giving Arteta some versatility as Arsenal seems to be to construct on its second-place end within the league final season. Only a late-season collapse prevented Arsenal profitable its first league title since 2004.
Arsenal will even be enjoying within the Champions League within the coming season for the primary time since 2017.
It is an indication of the progress made by Arsenal beneath Arteta that the membership can entice a sought-after participant like Rice, and for such a giant payment.
“Declan is bringing undoubted quality to the club,” Arteta mentioned, “and he is an exceptional talent who has the potential to be very successful here.”
The London membership has additionally signed Germany ahead Kai Havertz from Chelsea in a deal value a reported 65 million kilos, whereas Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber joined from Ajax on Friday for an preliminary payment of 40 million euros.
Rice’s final recreation for West Ham was its win over Fiorentina within the Europa Conference League ultimate in June, after which it turned clear the defensive midfielder can be leaving the staff whose academy he joined in 2014 from Chelsea.
“This club and its supporters will always be in my heart, and forever a part of who I am,” Rice mentioned.
