Revealed: What Ian Wright Did Before Declan Rice Joined Arsenal

By Babatune Solanke

Former Arsenal striker and legend, Ian Wright, has revealed how he begged Declan Rice to join Arsenal this summer.

Former West Ham United captain, Rice was confirmed as Arsenal player on Saturday, 15 July, 2023 after weeks of expectation.

Sky Sports reports that the England midfielder has signed a five-year deal after Arsenal agreed to pay a club-record £105 million in transfer fees for his services.

Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United were also said to have shown interest in signing the Englishman from West Ham.

And Wright said he played part in the defensive midfielder’s blockbuster move to the red side of north London.

Speaking on the Wrighty’s House podcast, the former England striker said, “Everyone was talking about when I went to the England squad, I was tapping him up. Literally, I was begging him!. I don’t work for the club, I’m an Arsenal fan.

“I said, ‘look at you and Saka, how cool you look together’, it’s just excitement.”

Recall that Arsenal signed England midfielder Rice from West Ham for a club-record fee of £105m.

The deal eclipses the £72m Arsenal paid for Nicolas Pepe from Lille in 2019, while it is also a record transfer fee between two British clubs.

But Rice’s signing is just short of the British record transfer fee with Chelsea paying £106.8m for midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January.

Rice has signed a five-year deal at Arsenal which runs until 2028, with the option of a further year and will wear the No 41 shirt.

His move to the Emirates Stadium brings a decade-long spell at West Ham to an end, rising from a youth-team player to club captain.

He made 245 appearances for the Hammers after making his first-team debut in 2017 and his final game for the club saw him lift West Ham’s first trophy in 43 years after they won the Europa Conference League final.

The 24-year-old’s arrival at Arsenal takes their summer spending to £208m following the signings of Kai Havertz from Chelsea for £65m and Jurrien Timber from Ajax for £38m.

The £105m Rice deal is broken down into an initial payment of £100m, which will be paid over 24 months, with £5m in add-ons, which are £1m every time Arsenal qualifies for the Champions League and Rice starts 60 per cent of games.