As he bid his fans farewell before moving on to Arsenal, Declan Rice departed West Ham United with an intriguing warning.
West Ham made the announcement that their captain was leaving the club for a British record sum on Saturday morning, after waiting weeks for it to finally happen.
By choosing not to identify the team that their midfielder is joining in their statement, the Hammers did manage to get one dig in at Arsenal.
This is said to be because the deal was delayed by the Gunners, which prevented David Moyes’ team from moving on with their preseason plans.
The 24-year-old’s departure from the London Stadium will undoubtedly be difficult for him because his final contribution to the team was to help them win the Europa Conference League.
After his resignation from West Ham United was officially announced, he wrote an open letter to the team’s fans in which he stated: “I wanted to talk to you personally and honestly, from the heart, to convey my feelings.
“The last few days and weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of emotion, but it is important to me that I have the opportunity to say goodbye and reflect on what has been such a special and memorable part of my life…”
Nevertheless, amid all the compliments and love, the supporters were confronted with the knowledge that they would soon see their favorite
The reason for this is that Rice warned them in his final message that he would be fighting hard for his old team and added: “I want you to know how difficult a choice it has been for me to leave an atmosphere that I have loved and valued so much.
“In the end, however, it has always just ever been about my passion to play at the top level of the game.
“It will be an interesting experience to play on the team that West Ham is on for the first time. Although I am not yet certain of my exact feelings, I am confident that you will all recognize and respect the fact that my new Club is where I must now place my professional loyalty.
“I will always give my all each and every time I put on the shirt because that is how I was raised at West Ham, and I’m sure you wouldn’t expect anything different.
But it doesn’t imply my affection and regard for all of you have lessened in any way.
It will be some time before the two teams actually face off in the Premier League; their first match is scheduled for Boxing Day. Hammers supporters will be able to welcome the England star back to the London Stadium around the weekend of February 10, though.
How Arsenal could end up paying £105 million for Declan Rice
Featured Image Credit: Transfers/Getty
Declan Rice will be acquired by Arsenal as a result of West Ham United’s departure announcement, but how will they pay the whole sum?
Given that Rice has been wanted by Arsenal for weeks and that a sum appears to have been set in the past, his move to the Emirates Stadium should not come as a surprise.
There was no question the midfielder would move to north London once Manchester City withdrew from the contest to get him, if they even wanted him in the first place.
When the Hammers announced on Saturday morning that he had departed the club with a transfer agreed, they didn’t seem to want to accept that fact.
It’s not like David Moyes’ team has any cause for concern; it was pretty obvious that they wouldn’t be able to hang on to such a good player indefinitely.
Furthermore, the sum paid for the 24-year-old will surpass the sum paid by City for Jack Grealish, who will now hold the record for being the most expensive British player ever.
Rice will continue to hold that honor until Jude Bellingham wins all the awards required to command a $114 million price tag from Real Madrid, at the very least.
The Premier League runners-up will ultimately pay the whole £105 million on Rice, according to Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol.
After all the fine details of the deal were negotiated upon ten days ago, Solhekol previously stated what was truly taking so long.
He said that something unexpected was holding everything up—a delay in the paperwork being sent back to West Ham from Arsenal’s attorneys.
After officially announcing the signing of defender Jurrien Timber on Friday, Mikel Arteta’s squad has had a busy 24 hours. Now, with the addition of Rice, that busy period is over.
Along with Kai Havertz, whose tenure with the club didn’t exactly get off to the best start, the club paid £65 million on him.
By acknowledging that he is still unsure of where the German should be playing on the field, Arteta has added to the worry.
