West Ham United: Journalist reacts to Arsenal fans’ latest joke about Declan Rice sale
Kieran Gill believes the £105million fee for Declan Rice worked well for all parties after Arsenal fans have set up a GoFundMe page to pay West Ham an extra £25million.
Responding to questions in his Q&A on the Daily Mail website on Wednesday (6 December, 01:36pm), the journalist said the Hammers are “perfectly happy” with the “ton of money” they received for the England international from the Gunners.
He added that the North London club have got a “hell of a midfielder”, but pointed out that the 24-year-old’s contract was nearing its expiry and that the Irons had to “play hardball” to ensure the fee reached their valuation after the initial bid was worth £80million.
“I did notice that one Arsenal fan jokingly set up a GoFundMe page to raise £25million so they can pay West Ham more for Declan Rice, after his winner against Luton on Tuesday,” said Gill.
“But West Ham are perfectly happy with the £105million they got in the end. Remember, Arsenal’s first bid was £80million. Their second bid was £90m. West Ham had to play hardball to get the fee up and over their £100million valuation, especially as Rice’s contract was nearing its expiry at the time.
“I’d say £105million worked well for all involved. Arsenal got a hell of a midfielder, West Ham made a ton of money, and Rice is thriving.”
Everyone benefited
The sale of Rice to Arsenal benefited everyone involved, so the recent statements that West Ham were robbed as part of the deal are pretty wide of the mark.
It wasn’t that long that the Gunners fans were suggesting that the fee in question was far too much, so it’s funny how the situation has changed after just a few months.
Rice has just taken his excellent form for club and country to North London with him and now people are starting to see that he is one of the best midfielders in the world.
The Hammers are pleased with how they spent the money as it allowed us to improve a number of areas of the squad during the transfer window.
While those players may not be at the standard Rice is playing at, it was the right time for him to move on and for us to ensure we got a decent chunk of change for him.
In other West Ham news, a Hammers star has predicted Tottenham to do something “special” this season.