Arsenal have overtaken City, stuck at 105 million: with him and Havertz Arteta launches the challenge to Guardiola
– london
The most expensive Englishman of all time plays in front of defence. He doesn’t score goals, at least not many, and thinks first of all about helping his team not to concede them. His name is Declan Rice, he’s 24 years old, and he’s one of those phenomena who know how to make a difference even without getting noticed. Arsenal convinced West Ham to let go of the captain who lifted the Conference League in early June by beating Fiorentina in the final for 116 million euros plus 6 in bonuses. More than Jude Bellingham, who married Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago, who paid Borussia Dortmund 103 million euros for a talent not even 20 years old. Rice, who is 24 years old, is ready to make the leap in quality with Arsenal that he has long deserved.
the deal
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The negotiation between the two clubs was unlocked yesterday. Arsenal had made a third offer on Tuesday evening, but West Ham were still waiting to hear from Manchester City. The champions had stopped at 93 million plus 12 bonuses, but in the face of the Gunners’ raise they decided to withdraw, faithful to their line of not participating in auctions when a player exceeds their evaluation. West Ham then returned from Arsenal with a precise request: to review the payment of the 116 million, not in 5 installments as proposed by Arteta’s team but in no more than two years. Easily resolved details. It’s a yes that satisfies both teams: the Gunners after taking Kai Havertz (yesterday the agreement with the former Chelsea was made official) hire a formidable midfielder ready for a further leap in quality, West Ham gets a mountain in exchange of money to reinvest in the market. Without too many regrets, because it had been clear for some time that West Ham was tight for Rice, with coach David Moyes calling him “the best midfielder around, one who can rewrite the history of the role of halfback in front of the defence”.
determined
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Character is the key to understanding Rice. It helped him, after being cut at 14 by Chelsea, to restart from West Ham with a great desire to learn and arrive. And Rice did it. First as a central defender, when he tasted the first team, then as a midfielder in front of the defense, where step by step he became a phenomenon. One of those ready to leave the limelight to others, like when he plays next to Bellingham with England (“This is your stage, go out on the pitch and take it. I’ll be here to watch your back”, repeats Rice in the new star of Real), but one of those truly irreplaceable. West Ham realized early on that they had a potential superstar on their hands, forged in the Romford sports center under the teachings of Mark Noble, from whom he inherited the armband in 2022-23 becoming the first Hammers captain in 42 years to lift a trophy , and give advice from a team that has done everything to help him get to the top.
masters
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Noble was the example to follow on the court, but as a student of the game Rice sought to learn from his predecessors as well. Sergio Busquets and N’Golo Kanté were the highlights he fed on to improve his game in front of the defence; Patrick Vieira and Yayà Touré from whom he tried to learn when he also tried to grow in attack. Rice, whose smiling face recently invaded London in the billboards of a yogurt advertisement, is charisma and talent, discipline and desire to improve. It’s his 43 caps for the national team in 4 years, his ability to bounce back after a bad game, the reliability of managing the team in front of the defence, shooting to get noticed even in the goal area, an outgoing personality that ends up infecting those who stands beside. Arteta understood that someone like Rice is the type of player he needs to take Arsenal to the next level, to challenge City for the title and try to get noticed in the Champions League as well. Because Rice himself has his own mentality, the one he instilled in the Gunners: talent isn’t enough to get there, you have to work hard, grow. Now they are ready to take the next step together: to win.
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