In an extensive conversation with The Athletic, Rice detailed his reasons for favoring a move to Arsenal last summer despite Manchester City, the reigning European champions, also expressing interest. Even though he could have joined City and potentially shared the midfield with Rodri, Rice was drawn to Arsenal’s offer.
Manchester City was prepared to offer £90 million ($112.8m) for Rice, but both City and Arsenal saw their bids rejected by West Ham. When Arsenal raised their bid to £105m ($131.6m), making Rice the priciest British footballer in history, City decided to pull out of the race. Even if City had continued bidding, Rice suggests he would have still chosen Arsenal.
“This project seemed more exciting and that’s why I chose to come to Arsenal, because I believe we’re on to big things here,” Rice clarified.
Regarding the rivalry with Rodri now that they remain opponents instead of teammates, Rice shared, “I enjoy it. We’re different players, I feel. With Rodri, he was born in Spain, he’s always been a natural No 6. You can just tell by the way he plays that he’s worked under Pep [Guardiola] for so long. He’s a lot more structured than I am. I’d say I’m a lot more off-the-cuff. Obviously, this season I’ve been more structured. But in terms of the way I play, I feel like…being free a little bit more. There are different things that we complement each other on – but no doubt, he’s the best in the world.”
Arsenal is aiming for their first Premier League title in two decades, but City poses a significant obstacle. While Arsenal leads by a point, City has a game in hand that could push them ahead. Apart from matches against Bournemouth and Everton, Arsenal’s toughest challenge seems to be an away fixture against Manchester United in their second-to-last game on May 12. A loss in that match could effectively hand the title to City.
Declan Rice
Declan Rice
EnglandThis season he played in total 35 times for 2962 minutes for Premier League.
Declan Rice scored 5 goals for Arsenal. He procured 7 assists. He received 4 yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Premier League. In the last match Arsenal won 3-2 against Tottenham Hotspur. The next match in Premier League will be against AFC Bournemouth.
Arsenal performance and stats
Arsenal is currently 1st in the Premier League with 80 points.
In the last 35 games, it has won 25 times, drawn 5 times, and lost 5 times. In its last match, Arsenal won 2-3 against Tottenham Hotspur.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 85 goals and conceding 28.
Arsenal will play the next match in Premier League against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 4th of May in London. The prediction is Arsenal winning the match.
