How Arteta convinced Rice to join Arsenal with house invite

Tom Weber

Updated: 29 Jun 2023 21:42 BST
3 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2022/23 — © ProShots

An invitation to Mikel Arteta's house helped to convince Declan Rice to join Arsenal, a report claims.

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The West Ham captain had been the subject of intense links to Arsenal even before the 2022/23 season officially ended. The Premier League runners-up officially submitted their first offer after the Hammers' Conference League triumph but saw their first two proposals rebuffed.

Third time's a charm, however, and their third offer of £100 million plus £5 million in add-ons was enough to convince their fellow London counterparts to accept after Manchester City had dropped out of the race.

READ: Rice to Arsenal and seven transfers that could be completed this week

On Wednesday evening, it was revealed that all the formalities of the deal had been completed. It is only a matter of time before the Gunners announce what is set to be a record transfer between two British clubs, topping Jack Grealish's £100m move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2021.

Arteta's invitation

According to LondonWorld, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta invited the 24-year-old to his house for a meeting during which he explained what his role in the team would be. The report claims that it became clear during the talks that it was Rice's priority to remain in London.

Arteta has clearly put the legwork in to help get the main bulk of Arsenal's business done before the start of pre-season. Kai Havertz's £65m move from Chelsea has already been confirmed by the club - after accidentally being leaked a day early.

READ: Arsenal legend to join Chelsea project

Rice is expected to be the second announcement with Ajax star Jurrien Timber being next in line. The Gunners have also already tied several key players down to new long-term contracts like Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale. William Saliba will join that list when he returns from his vacation.

The Premier League runners-up will head into the new season determined to go one better this time around.