The Latest Arsenal News: Within the first two weeks of his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, Declan Rice—Britain’s most expensive footballer after his £105 million transfer from West Ham to Arsenal earlier this summer—called on the Gunners’ supporters not to view him only in terms of his price tag.
The outstanding midfielder’s transfer price broke the previous mark established by Manchester City’s £100 million purchase of Jack Grealish. Rice, though, is not allowing the weight of the high price tag get to him. In an interview with ESPN, Rice expressed his excitement and surprise at how far his career has come. He also stressed that he is focused on playing football and having fun rather than becoming distracted by the financial expectations related with his transfer.
“I think five years ago I’d be dreaming about where I am now. I don’t actually think about it. It is crazy to think ‘yeah OK, I’ve been sold for £100m’ but I haven’t thought about it once. That’s a price tag that is now attached to me. I just try to play football and enjoy myself. I don’t try to put any added pressure on me. Me being myself is what’s got me here. That isn’t going to change now I’m at Arsenal. I’m still going to do things that I’ve done that have got me to Arsenal,” Declan Rice said confidently.
The 23-year-old midfielder is eager to establish himself at Arsenal and leave a lasting impression on the team. He advised fans to wait to make judgements of him until they had seen him play over a longer length of time, advising them to judge him based on his performances over time rather than making quick judgments after only a few weeks.
“At the end, judge me on the price tag then, don’t judge me after two or three weeks. Hopefully at the end, that’s why I’ve come to Arsenal because I want to be a success and I want this club to be a success,” Rice asserted with a strong sense of ambition and dedication to his new team.
Rice selected Arsenal over other big teams like Chelsea and Manchester City because it offered a new challenge and the potential to help the team succeed. The transfer has given the Gunners a surge of optimism, and famous former manager Arsene Wenger even predicted that Arsenal may be the favorites to win the Premier League championship.
Arsenal will play Barcelona in their forthcoming preseason friendly as part of their tour of the United States. Fans definitely be keeping a careful eye on Rice’s performances in these warm-up games in order to gauge the effect of Arsenal’s record-breaking purchase on the team’s overall performance.
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