Declan Rice’s £100m move shows Arsenal are desirable again

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Arsenal appear to have won the race to sign £100m superstar Declan Rice.

With Bayern Munich withdrawing from the chase after learning that the West Ham captain would prefer to stay in London and Manchester United preoccupied with other goals, Arsenal have a clear way to complete the deal.

But the key thing here is that Rice actively wants to join Arsenal, suggesting it is an attractive destination for first-class players once again.

It’s been a few years since we’ve been able to say that. Amid other big names, players choose to sign for Arsenal.

Gabriel Jesus had interest from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur when he left Manchester City last year but Arsenal made the only serious offer.

Arsenal are leading the race to sign West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice for £100m. Rice is expected to move from West Ham after winning the Europa League title.

Indeed, you probably have to go back to 2014 when Alexis Sanchez picked Arsenal ahead of Liverpool and Juventus after leaving Barcelona for the last time, a top-flight player picked them over opponents of similar stature.

But now they could be a ‘destination club’ again as if they were under Arsene Wenger’s heyday.

While Mikel Arteta’s entertaining side gave the Premier League title a good chance, they were clearly inferior to eventual champions Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta is turning Arsenal into a force again and Rice choosing to play for him ahead of Manchester United and Bayern Munich is a positive sign

Rice’s signing is a clear sign that Arsenal intend to fill that gap and owners Kroenke Sports Entertainment [KSE] You clearly feel the direction of travel ahead and are ready to invest.

The midfield has been a priority area to enhance this summer and signing Rice has the class to take them to the next level.

This is not a surprising decision by Arsenal. They initially showed interest in signing Rice again in the winter, but West Ham already confirmed their intention to let him leave last week.

It came after Rice led them to the European Conference League, their first piece of major European silverware since 1965. It was the perfect spot for the signing, with his contract next year anyway.

From a midfielder’s point of view, United could be a more desirable destination in terms of club prestige and possibly salary. Meanwhile, a move to Germany to play for Bayern Munich is as close to a trophy-winning guarantee as football can provide.

However, his choice of Arsenal shows how they are now seen as a club surging upward again, rather than one stagnant.

Next season’s Champions League football bid helps, with Arsenal back in Europe’s top competition for the first time since 2016-17. But this was available to him elsewhere.

The prospect of being the next piece in Arteta’s jigsaw proved attractive to him. Rice, 24, joins a group of exciting young players at Arsenal as they approach their junior years confident of success.

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke appears ready to pay a club record transfer fee for Rice chairman West Ham David Sullivan (R) has revealed that Rice turned down a new deal at the London Stadium just 18 months ago and said the midfielder would be allowed to leave.

This building process has continued since Arteta’s arrival in December 2019 and has been given the patience to reshape Arsenal into a powerhouse, even if they have finished eighth on two occasions.

In 2020, Gabriel Magalhaes and Thomas Partey arrived, but it was an incoherent transfer strategy as the signings of Willian, Cedric Soares, Pablo Mari and Runner Alex Runnarsson showed.

But in 2021, things are really starting to take shape. £143m has been spent, which is a lot of money, but on young players. Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Aaron Ramsdal and Martin Odegaard have become regulars and integral parts of Arteta’s revolution.

Last summer’s additions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko for a combined £78m winning experience will now strengthen even further with Rice, whose winning skills, passing and dribbling under pressure are excellent.

But paying him nine figures, if it comes to that, is still one hell of a statement. Arsenal’s record expenditure for a player is £72m, for Nicholas Pepe in 2019.

Rice was seen cuddling Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale after arriving at the England camp with speculation continuing to link him to the Gunners. Rice was also pictured greeting Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka after arriving at the canteen.

The monetary promise of the Champions League explains the willingness to spend, as well as the signs of progress. Another factor is that their direct competitors in the Premier League will not sit idly by.

City will not need extensive surgery, but they are unlikely to be content with three titles to defend. Pep Guardiola will be looking to achieve a historic quadruple next season.

Alexis Sanchez was perhaps the last global talent to actively choose Arsenal over its rivals when he signed from Barcelona back in 2014.

Manchester United are probably just a reliable striker away from a serious challenge under Erik ten Hag. Newcastle are an upcoming force with the financial clout to compete for top players, while Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham will certainly not be poor again.

Arsenal do not want their title challenge to be a flash in the pan followed by a slump to what is becoming more famously fourth or fifth place.

Arteta needs more strength in depth to juggle domestic commitments with the demands of the Champions League.

However, unwanted players – including Pepe – will have to be sold to raise money to support other areas.

Another reason for Arsenal spending more is that the £390m Emirates Stadium cost has almost been paid for.

Figures released immediately after the Covid pandemic showed Kroenke still owed £144m to bondholders in Stadium Debt, which was restructured in July 2020.

But the UAE is no longer the millstone around the club’s neck as it used to be, which frustrates Wenger’s attempts to build competitive teams in his last years there.

It all dampens attempts to buy players like Rice – of course helping Arsenal being an attractive option from a player’s perspective again.

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