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One of Arsenal’s most important players is close to committing his long-term future to the club.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed on Tuesday morning that talks over a new deal for Declan Rice are in their final stages, with Arsenal “very optimistic” of getting it done.
Arsenal fans will be so glad he’s in red and white, because a few years ago he could easily have ended up at Old Trafford instead.
Erik ten Hag wanted Declan Rice at Manchester United
In a new interview with The Athletic, Erik ten Hag revealed that he pushed for United to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in the summer of 2022, a year before he joined Arsenal.
Frenkie de Jong was Ten Hag’s first choice, but after weeks of negotiations, the Barcelona midfielder decided not to join. Ten Hag turned to Rice instead, but West Ham weren’t willing to sell.
“The issue was that West Ham didn’t want to let him go,” he said. “I think we could have done more to test. We were on one page, they tried, but I don’t know how the process went. The point is, at United you need outstanding players.”
Ten Hag believed Rice had exactly the qualities his young squad was missing. “I think a club like United, you need these profiles to be successful,” he added. “Personality, and they are mature, and they’re accountable. We signed five, six players, young, high potentials. But they are not the finished product. They need guidance from good professionals, like [Harry] Kane, Rice, and Bruno [Fernandes].”
It’s hardly a surprise that Ten Hag wanted Rice. He was already an England regular at West Ham and one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League. The following summer, though, it became a two-horse race between Manchester City and Arsenal, and Rice chose the Gunners.
Rice, whom Mikel Arteta has described as ‘unbelievable’, joined in the summer of 2023 for a club-record £105million. He was instrumental as Arsenal won their first league title in 22 years last season, wearing the captain’s armband at times, and he’s now on the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or for the third consecutive year.
Rice isn’t the only key Arsenal player who could have ended up at a Premier League rival had things panned out differently. Chelsea tried to hijack Arsenal’s move for Riccardo Calafiori in 2024, even phoning Bologna while the Italian club were in a meeting with the Gunners.