Declan Rice has acknowledged the surreal feeling of his £105m transfer to Arsenal but has shifted his focus away from the record-breaking price tag.
After leading West Ham to victory in the Europa Conference League last season, the 24-year-old became Arsenal’s priciest acquisition and the most expensive British player ever in his move from the Irons this summer.
Nicolas Pepe previously held Arsenal’s record signing title at £72m from his 2019 transfer from Lille, while Jack Grealish‘s move from Aston Villa to Manchester City for £100m in 2021 was the former British record.
Pepe struggled to make a significant impact in North London, and Grealish’s performance at the Etihad has been inconsistent.
Meanwhile, Rice has seamlessly integrated into Mikel Arteta‘s system and emerged as one of their standout players this season.
The ex-Chelsea talent, previously linked with a return to Chelsea, along with interest from Manchester City and Manchester United, has contributed two goals and two assists in his initial 18 games for the Gunners.
He’s been a starter in all their Premier League and Champions League fixtures to date.
Addressing the media before England’s last Euro 2024 qualifying match versus North Macedonia on Monday, Rice confessed that the enormous price tag made him “quite nervous.
” However, the midfielder feels that staying true to himself has eased the transition.
“When the transfer was going through I was very nervous because of the price tag. It’s natural to think about that.
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You’re a human being bought for £105m, it doesn’t feel very normal. But that was because of what I’d done at West Ham, what they valued me at.”
“When I signed for Arsenal, I just thought I just need to be Declan Rice, be myself, don’t be any different, everything will go smoothly.
The first three weeks of pre-season were really tough in terms of the change. When you’re at a new job you start to feel really settled after a few weeks.
‘That really feels the case now. In terms of the price tag, I don’t really think about it, I just play the games and try to play as well as possible.
Honestly, I just try to play my football. I don’t let it affect me in any way, shape or form. I just go to training, try to train as well as possible.”
Rice also expressed empathy for his England teammate Grealish, understanding the challenges of his initial phase at Man City following his £100m transfer.
However, the Arsenal player now sees the winger as “thriving” under Pep Guardiola.
“It’s £100m, it’s a lot of money, I could understand the pressure that comes with it.
Not only the pressure you put on yourself but there’s an expectation of being bought for that much money we need to see performances straight away.”
“I can see why Jack struggled maybe at the start – mentally.
He was a £100m footballer but as he wasn’t playing as much, it was probably as bit different for him. Now he’s flying and it’s the same for me.”
Entering the field as a substitute, Rice earned his 47th England cap during Friday’s 2-0 victory against Malta.
Despite having a goal disallowed due to a contentious offside decision, the Three Lions secured a comfortable lead through an Enrico Pepe own goal and a strike from Harry Kane.
