Arsenal supporters set up GoFundMe page to pay West Ham £25m more for Declan Rice after his heroic showing in win over Luton Town
Arsenal supporters have reportedly set up a GoFundMe page to raise an extra £25 million to pay West Ham for Declan Rice's services.
According to the Daily Mail, this incident was recorded soon after the England international scored a late winner in his side's 4-3 win against Luton Town (December 5).
With the game level at 3-3, Rice's headed effort found the net from Martin Odegaard's delivery in the 97th minute. Given the midfielder's incredible start to life at the Emirates, Arsenal supporters set up the GoFundMe page, poking fun at West Ham for selling the player for an insufficient amount.
Rice made the move to north London this summer on a reportedly massive £105 million deal. Since joining Mikel Arteta and Co., he has been viewed in the eyes of many as the Gunners' top player so far this season.
The former Hammers skipper has started every single Premier League and UEFA Champions League match under Arteta. From 22 appearances across all competitions this season, he's scored three goals and assisted two.
Similar to his goal against Luton Town, Rice also bagged a late winner at the Emirates against Manchester United in stoppage time (90+6') on September 3. In the Premier League, the 24-year-old has registered an incredible 92% passing accuracy while managing over five ball recoveries and nearly two tackles per game.
He has also shown his versatility, largely playing the number six role and remaining comfortable even when deployed as a box-to-box midfielder. Rice is likely to start for Arsenal when they travel to Aston Villa on Saturday (December 9).
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to serve one-game ban after celebrating Declan Rice's winner against Luton Town
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will have to serve a one-game ban after picking up his third yellow card of the Premier League season during his side's win over Luton Town.
The Gunners boss was unable to control his emotions after Declan Rice's late winner at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday. With the Spanish tactician shown a yellow card for his celebrations that night, he will sit in the stands for Arsenal's match against Aston Villa this weekend.
However, claiming that he didn't mind the booking, Arteta said after the match (via The Standard):
"Yeah, I could not be sitting on my seat, unfortunately. So I left there, I had no spatial awareness at all. It was just pure emotion. So if that’s a yellow. Okay, it’s a yellow.”
Following their latest win, the Gunners remain on top of the table with 36 points, two ahead of second-placed Liverpool. Aston Villa are third, only four points behind the league leaders, after their 1-0 win against Manchester City on Wednesday.