Declan Rice has disclosed his decision to sign with Arsenal instead of Manchester City, citing the more compelling vision presented by the Gunners.
Arsenal continues to be a strong contender for the Premier League crown, currently leading the table by a single point over their closest competitors. Although Pep Guardiola’s team has a match in reserve.
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With aspirations to surpass their runner-up finish from the previous year, Arsenal’s acquisition of Rice marks a pivotal move in Mikel Arteta’s strategy to bolster his squad.
At 25 years old, Rice was among the most coveted players in the global football scene last summer. Arsenal secured the midfielder’s services with a staggering £105 million transaction.
In contrast, City’s £90 million offer was turned down by West Ham, despite their interest in the English midfielder.
While the possibility of playing alongside Rodri may have been tempting, Rice explained he sees Arsenal achieving big things. “I know,” he told The Athletic.
“But this project seemed more exciting and that’s why I chose to come to Arsenal, because I believe we’re on to big things here.”
Arsenal’s midfielder spoke in glowing terms about his Man City counterpart, and labelled him as ‘the best in the world’. Rice believes he has more freedom than Rodri however.
“We’re different players, I feel,” he said, “With Rodri, he was born in Spain, he’s always been a natural No. 6.
“You can just tell by the way he plays that he’s worked under Pep (Guardiola) for so long. He’s a lot more structured than I am. I’d say I’m a lot more off-the-cuff. Obviously, this season I’ve been more structured. But in terms of the way I play, I feel like… being free a little bit more.
“There are different things that we complement each other on — but no doubt, he’s the best in the world.”
“He said that you have goalscoring capabilities and capabilities to make assists and make things happen,” Rice said. “But obviously he knew my biggest strength was probably playing No 6.”
