There have been ups and downs since arriving at the Emirates, but Mikel Arteta has cleaned up Arsenal’s playing staff in recent years and turned them into a team that wins Premier League derbies and more importantly dominates the top of the table and is in contention for the title. And in such a squad, few people would not like to play. The management decided to reward the Spanish expert in the summer with (at least) one major signing, and the one from the Emirates should be Declan Rice. The Guardian claims that the Gunners have listed him as an absolute priority for the next transfer window, and that Arsenal are the first desire for the West Ham defensive midfielder.##NAJAVA_MECA_6962760##To scratch the surface in the recent past, there has not been a transfer window in the last two years in which there was no buzz about Chelsea’s determination to bring their former pupil back to Stamford Bridge. The guy who was allowed by the Blues to leave their football academy when he was 14 years old, is today known as one of the better defensive midfielders in the top five leagues. And regardless of the fact that Chelsea has reoriented to some other people, that its targets are Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, and that after a long time the Blues are not thinking about Rice – thus England’s national team player could be Arsenal’s small revenge for the recent Chelsea theft of Mykhailo Mudryk.Now we come to the financial aspect, and the Guardian claims that Rice could surpass City’s 117,000,000 euros for Jack Grealish, and become the most expensively paid Englishman in the history of football. Now, how realistic is that? West Ham, a club that is fighting for survival this season, is aware that there are no more arguments to keep Rice. In the summer, the 24-year-old will enter the final year of his contract with a clause for a possible extension for another 12 months. And that’s why West Ham will probably have to settle for less than 100,000,000 euros – an estimated 90,000,000 and a bit over.Declan Rice 🤝 trusting the process #Arteta #Arsenal #AFC pic.twitter.com/rp1fdGyFUG— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) January 22, 2023 After a long, long time, Arsenal look like a club that has found the right course, both on the pitch and in the football market. Arteta’s choice of reinforcements looks pretty assuring, and this winter the north London club used it to sign the proven Premier League player Leandro Trossard for 24,500,000 + 7,000,000 euros, and should soon make official the transfer of Polish stopper Jakub Kiwior for 25,000,000 euros.
