West Ham have finalized the sale of their captain, Declan Rice, after finally receiving the necessary paperwork from Arsenal. The transfer, which had been agreed upon eight days ago, was causing growing frustration for the Hammers due to the delay in its completion.
One insider commented to We News, expressing their astonishment at the unprecedented nature of this saga.
Nonetheless, West Ham has finalized an agreement to transfer Rice to Arsenal, who are on the verge of unveiling their record-breaking signing. Subsequently, the player is expected to join the team during their pre-season tour in the United States, commencing on Sunday.
Delays in the preparation of paperwork by Arsenal's legal team were causing the hold-up.
West Ham believed that Rice had successfully completed his medical examination with Arsenal and had been consistently training while on vacation in Portugal.
The deal consists of an initial payment of £100m, with an additional £5m in add-ons. This will surpass Arsenal's previous record purchase of Nicolas Pepe from Lille for £72m in 2019. Rice's signing falls just below the British transfer record, held by Chelsea who paid £106.8m to Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in January.
Arsenal completed the signing of Jurrien Timber for a fee of £38m on Friday. Timber has agreed to a five-year contract with the Gunners. The upfront payment to Ajax amounts to £34m, while the remaining part of the fee will be dependent on his performance.
What Rice adds to Arsenal and where he fits...
Timber, who is capable of playing as a right-back and has experience at centre-back as well, has recently been signed. It is worth noting that Ben White predominantly occupied the right-back position throughout the previous season. Additionally, Timber has also drawn attention from Manchester United in the past.
The convincing evidence Arsenal needed to consider a move for Declan Rice came during their 2-2 draw with West Ham at the London Stadium in April, precisely after the thirty-minute mark.
Mikel Arteta's team had a comfortable lead of two goals and appeared to be heading towards a victory that would have given them a six-point advantage over Manchester City. However, everything changed due to a spontaneous action from a player they are eager to secure as their most expensive signing.
Rice noticed that Kieran Tierney was about to deliver a pass to Thomas Partey in the Arsenal's defensive zone, prompting him to accelerate and pressurize the Ghanaian player. He successfully intercepted the ball, swiftly carried it into the penalty area, and then located the advancing Lucas Paqueta.
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Rice was the catalyst that shifted the game's momentum away from Arsenal, possibly even impacting the title race. This was evident with the subsequent penalty, which was won by Paqueta and successfully scored by Said Benrahma.
Where does Rice's transfer fee rank?
The performance highlighted several attributes that contribute to Rice's strong appeal to Arsenal: his ability to anticipate opportunities, his impressive speed and strength in retrieving the ball, and his composed nature in setting up teammates and ultimately drawing penalties.
Jude Bellingham became the most expensive English player of all time when he made the £115m move from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid earlier this month.
Rice becomes the second most expensive ever, costing £5m more than the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish in August 2021.
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It would also be only the third time an English club has paid over £100m for a player.
Explained: How Arsenal can afford big-money summer signings
According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Arsenal's apparent increase in spending is a "reward" for Mikel Arteta.
The reason behind this is their successful management of wage expenses.
Somewhat surprisingly, Arsenal's wages have decreased since 2018, being £150m to £170m lower compared to Liverpool, Manchester United, and Manchester City. This financial advantage has allowed them the freedom to enter the market for new players without significant concerns.
In addition, they will also enjoy the advantages of participating in Champions League matches, premium prices, and a minimum prize money of £50m. Taking all these factors into account, it is likely that they still have some flexibility in terms of their spending for the current window.
When questioned about any strategy changes at Arsenal, he responded affirmatively, stating that they underwent a retrenchment period during which they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
He mentioned that they successfully eliminated high-earning players such as Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from their payroll. This has enabled them to now actively participate in the transfer market and vie with other clubs on a more equal footing.
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Which players are expected to make transfers before the closing of the summer transfer window on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on We' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on We News.
