Declan Rice may be a West Ham player, but his desire for big honours led Arsenal to move to the capital in the summer.
Losing a home-grown talent, the 24-year-old Rice, would have been painful, but the London rivals compensated the Hammers well, as the centre-forward became their most expensive signing in history, which could end up exceeding £105 million.
Rice had a fairytale ending in the East End, winning a European trophy in his last appearance in claret and blue as club captain. But club chairman David Sullivan made it clear shortly after West Ham’s Europa League triumph that he wanted Rice to leave.
Asked if this would be Rice’s last act as a West Ham player, Sullivan told talkSPORT: “I think it has to be. We’ve promised him he can leave. He has set his heart on leaving. You couldn’t ask for a man who has made a bigger commitment to us this season. Eventually he will have to go and we will have to get a replacement – or several replacements.
“It’s not something we want to happen. We offered him £200,000 a week 18 months ago. He turned it down. In that time, staying at West Ham has cost him £10m (in lost wages). And he wants to leave. You can’t keep a player who doesn’t want to.”
A month later, Rice was announced as an Arsenal player, but the record-breaking contract eventually agreed with West Ham was anything but straightforward.
After weeks of difficult negotiations, both sides were urged to agree a deal as the 2023/24 campaign loomed. Just days before Rice’s transfer to Arsenal was confirmed, Sky Sports claimed that the club had “promised” West Ham that it would complete the formalities of a deal in the coming days.
Rice has already made a significant impact at the Emirates since his transfer, scoring crucial goals against Manchester United, Chelsea and Luton.
Unfortunately, he was booed by some fans on his return to the London Stadium in November when the Hammers knocked Arsenal out of the Carabao Cup.
This time, the stakes are much higher as Rice will be playing his former club for the first time in the Premier League on Thursday night. Arsenal need a win to return to the top spot occupied by Liverpool in the second half of the season.