Why Declan Rice, Arsenal’s “Van Dijk” acquisition, is coming background to West Ham
Even at a record £105 million for an English player, Rice has already shown to be a safe investment for the Gunners, giving Mikel Arteta’s team more grit as they take on his previous club.
Declan Rice tried to visualize what a “unusual” night like this one might look like at Arsenal. Rice makes his first trip back to east London following his £105 million transfer to the Gunners, following ten years with West Ham. At 24, he becomes a West Ham legend and the most expensive English footballer in history. That was ensured by Rice’s last game for West Ham, as he won the Europa Conference League, making history as just the third captain of the team to win a major trophy.
The 14-year-old child who was let go by Chelsea was raised at West Ham. He settled there, and when he departed, he did so as the team’s longest-tenured England representative since
Rice’s decision to move across London and join Arsenal may have hurt the team and the fans he claims he holds in his heart, which may be the reason for some of the jeers on Wednesday night. However, his application and dedication to West Ham during a time when he had the opportunity to turn around and lead to a night of glorious triumph in Prague guarantees that, in David Moyes’ words, he should be “welcomed back with open arms.” Many big names have left West Ham throughout the years without being able to accomplish such a significant win.
“Despite the fact that we kind of knew he probably wasn’t going to stay at West Ham, the most important thing was that he gave 100 percent in every game,” Moyes said.
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