“I f*****g was” – Ian Wright opens up on ‘begging’ Declan Rice to join Arsenal
Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has admitted that he was actively trying to make Declan Rice join his former club this summer.
The Gunners have confirmed the arrival of Rice from West Ham United on Saturday (July 15). According to Sky Sports, he has penned a five-year deal after Arsenal agreed to pay a club-record £105 million for his services.
Rice's move to the Emirates brings an end to a long-running transfer saga this summer. Wright reckons he had a part to play in the defensive midfielder's blockbuster move to the red side of north London.
The former English centre-forward paid a visit to England's squad at St. George's Park in March and apparently urged Rice to join Arsenal. On the Wrighty's House podcast (h/t Daily Mail), the pundit said:
"Everyone was saying about when I went to the England squad, I was tapping him up. Yes I f*****g was. 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 lot look together", it's just excitement."
Rice will wear the No. 41 shirt at Arsenal and is expected to slot straight into the starting XI. The Gunners have seen Granit Xhaka join Bayer Leverkusen this summer, and Thomas Partey could follow suit.
According to CBS Sports' James Benge, Juventus and Al-Khaleej are interested in Partey, while Al-Ahli are also in active pursuit of the Ghana international.
Declan Rice explains why he chose Arsenal transfer
Former West Ham United skipper Declan Rice had no shortage of suitors this summer.
According to the aforementioned source, Bayern Munich and Manchester City were also interested in signing the midfielder, but he ended up moving to Arsenal instead.
In his first interview after joining his new club, Rice explained the reason why he joined the Emirates outfit to the club website:
"I've been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they’ve been going on. Not last season but the season before, they finished fifth, but you could see the style of play Mikel was implementing. Last season was an outstanding season, blowing pretty much every team out of the water with the exception of Man City.
The 24-year-old added:
"With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me."
Rice left the Hammers after a ten-year stay. He ended his spell in east London on a high note, captaining them to UEFA Europa Conference League glory last season.