West Ham United: Fabrizio Romano shares what he’s been told about Declan Rice transfer hold-up at Arsenal
Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal’s deal to sign West Ham captain Declan Rice is “done” but that confirmation is just a “matter of announcement”.
Speaking on his Daily Briefing show on Caught Offside (13 July), the transfer expert claims the move will happen despite rumours that West Ham is becoming increasingly frustrated by delays in the deal that was agreed to eight days ago [Sky Sports].
Romano also claimed that Rice and Gunners target Jurrien Timber are both done, but that Arsenal themselves have full control over their announcement as West Ham continues to wait for confirmation.
Romano said: “To start with, I know Arsenal fans are desperate to hear official announcements on Declan Rice, but I can’t control that.
“It’s not on journalists to say when clubs will announce deals, only the club can do this, but I’m not changing my position, despite rumours – I’m told it’s just a matter of announcement, Arsenal have everything ready for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber.
“I already said that both deals are done, that’s it, nothing else. Only Arsenal can decide about announcements, and this is the same for any club.”
Waiting game
While it is unlikely that this deal will fall through at such a late and critical stage, West Ham fans must want this saga to end.
Arsenal got the famous Romano ‘Here we go!’ nine days ago, but North London is yet to see their new man officially announced after the £105million deal was sanctioned.
Rice himself has begun pre-season preparation in Portugal, but Mikel Arteta reportedly wants the Englishman for Arsenal pre-season as they travel to Washington on Sunday (16 July) [Daily Mail].
West Ham fans will already be spending the transfer fee in their head on new signings, but will never feel totally confident until they see an official announcement. Securing his replacement is well and truly underway behind the scenes at West Ham, with the likes of Denis Zakaria reportedly close to a move from Juventus [La Gazzetta dello Sport].
Deals of this magnitude can often take some to process legally. This deal was a hard-fought one for Arsenal as West Ham wanted a large portion of the fee by the end of next year [Daily Mail], with transfer fees often spread out across multiple years.
But the waiting game is on for West Ham fans. While it is a game they’re likely to win, it’s not a very fun one.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have a “major” advantage in their bid to sign recently-relegated Leicester City standout.