Pete Hanson

Thu 6 July 2023 8:10, UK

Declan Rice’s father had no influence on his decision to focus on joining Arsenal over Manchester City from West Ham, according to ExWHUemployee.

The Hammers skipper is closing on a reported £105million move across London to join the Gunners (the Guardian, 4 July) after a long and protracted transfer saga.

Premier League champions Manchester City were also in the running to sign the England midfielder but pulled out as they did not want to get involved in a bidding war.

Rice’s decision is said to have been made in part due to his close family ties in London, but ExWHUemployee – writing on his Patreon account – said the 24-year-old was merely swayed more by what Arsenal sold him.

“Update 1: We can confirm that Sean Rice (Declan’s dad) had no input into where the player wanted to go,” he wrote.

“Both him and Declan admire and respect Manchester City and Pep but Declan was just more sold by what was on offer at Arsenal.”

Time will tell

The only certainty involving Declan Rice this summer is that he was going to leave West Ham.

And even the most ardent of Hammers supporters must surely recognise the sense behind that. He leaves having won a major European trophy and has secured a huge financial windfall for his boyhood club.

In terms of the actual move he has chosen, only time will tell if he has made the right decision. Arsenal fell away in the title picture last season but there is no doubt there is a real sense of excitement and optimism at what Mikel Arteta is building at the Emirates Stadium.

Rice is going to be a real focal point of Arteta’s project and looks a shoo-in as a future captain at Arsenal.

A move to Manchester City, who won a Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League treble last season, probably represented more of a guarantee of major honours but the prominent role he will play at Arsenal appears to be what won the day.

In other West Ham news, an Arsenal star could be moving in the opposite direction to Rice.