Declan Rice to Arsenal: Why he favoured Gunners over Man City and how he usurped Moises Caicedo as top target

Arsenal have sealed a £105m deal to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in a move which has shattered their transfer record, but how did it come about and what does it mean for the club?

Rice, who was also a target for Manchester City and Manchester United, has signed a five-year contract, with the option of an extra 12 months, at the Emirates Stadium.

Here, Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth explains Arsenal’s long-standing interest in Rice, Mikel Arteta’s role in convincing him to join, and why the deal hints at a bright future for the club…

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Why Caicedo was targeted first

Image: Arsenal bid for Moises Caicedo in January before switching focus to Rice

“Arsenal’s interest in Rice has not just come around this summer,” says Sheth. “This started in January, maybe even earlier.

“Mikel Arteta has been a huge fan of his for a long time.

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“Arsenal made their interest known in January, but it was impossible to do a deal, simply because, at the time, West Ham were in a relegation battle and still in the Europa Conference League.

“Arsenal switched their attention to Moises Caicedo then, because they were really desperate to bring in a midfielder.

“They actually pursued him more strongly in January than they did Rice, as we saw when they went in with a couple of bids.

“The last of those bids was worth around £70m, but Brighton said he was not for sale, so Arsenal then decided to hold off on a big signing and focus on the summer window.”

How Rice emerged as the priority

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Sky Sports’ Nick Wright and Ron Walker take a deeper look into why Declan Rice became Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s No 1 target

“One of Arsenal’s priority positions for the summer was always going to be midfield,” adds Sheth.

“We found out quite quickly that, even though they were interested in both Rice and Caicedo in January, the interest in Rice was stronger, because he was the one who became the primary target for this transfer window.

“It was interesting to see what happened on the West Ham side.

“Rice only had one year left on his contract (albeit with the option of a further year), but straight after the Europa Conference League final, David Sullivan said he had played his last game for them.

“You wondered then whether that would impact the price because if a club says, ‘that’s it, he’s not going to play for the club anymore’, then a potential buying club can think, ‘well, he’s going to leave, so we can negotiate on the fee here’.

“I think West Ham were banking on other clubs being interested, to create that bidding war to try and raise the price. That’s what happened with Manchester City coming in.

“West Ham always said they wanted a minimum of £100m and their tactics, even if you doubted them at the start, have clearly worked.

“Arsenal have agreed to pay a total of £105m for Rice, so West Ham have got their wish.”

Why Rice favoured Arsenal over Man City

Image: Man City pulled out of the running after seeing a £90m bid rejected

“I’m sure that Arteta played a huge role in convincing Rice to make the move to the Emirates Stadium,” says Sheth.

“It’s very difficult and delicate when it comes to transfer negotiations because there’s always that question of when the interest starts.

“Does it go straight through the club? Because, as far as we’re aware, these things are supposed to be club-to-club first, and then the player is sold the project.

“But, from the outset, it appeared that Rice’s preference was to go to Arsenal and that was highlighted when Manchester City came in.

“Everyone assumed that when City came to the table, there was only one decision to make, but I think Rice already had his heart set on going to Arsenal.

“I think there are other factors at play here too. Of course, it’s the project. Of course, it’s the manager.

“But, from a human perspective as well, we don’t know exactly what Rice was feeling with regards to staying in London. He has a young family, so I’m sure that will have played some sort of role.

“But primarily, it would have been the football project that tempted him to Arsenal.

“He will have seen what Arsenal did last season, and, in the conversations he had with people from the club, I’m sure they will have sold it to him as, ‘you are going to be the main guy in this team’.

“Would Manchester City have been able to guarantee that to him in their team, given they already have Rodri in his position?

“Arsenal have obliterated their transfer record to get it done. This is the biggest transfer between two British clubs. It’s the highest transfer fee and it’s shy of a British record by about a million and a half.

“So, they aren’t buying Rice to try him in different positions and see what happens.

“They are building a team around him.”

What Rice’s arrival means for Arsenal

Image: Mikel Arteta is a long-term admirer of Rice

“Arsenal are getting these big deals done quickly and efficiently, with Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber already signed,” continues Sheth.

“Interestingly, if you look at last season, they got all their business done really early then as well – and we’re talking players of the calibre of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus.

“I think that will have had an impact on players’ who are potentially thinking about whether to go to Arsenal or not, that they are attracting these kinds of player.

“Bear in mind, they brought in Zinchenko and Jesus from a team that had won the Premier League and were guaranteed Champions League football to a club which didn’t have the Champions League having just finished fifth.

“Despite that, they are being sold the project by Arteta and Edu.

“It shows, also, the stability of Arsenal right now. The board, Edu and Arteta all seem to be on the same page about targets and Arteta is getting backed every single time.

“Whenever you speak to Arteta in news conferences, he always says he hasn’t come across a player who would turn down Arsenal.

“That could be wrong, of course. We might not hear about every player. But in the case of Rice, he has thought, ‘if they are attracting players like Jesus and Zinchenko, then they must be onto something’.

“Now, when Rice comes in, other players will start to think, ‘well, Declan Rice is there now. He has decided that this is the project for him’.

“It feels like this Arsenal project is only going one way and that way is up.”

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