Not a champion of the Premier League, but of the expensive purchases. Arsenal brought Declan Rice for 116.5 million euros, but that amount can still rise to more than 120 million due to bonuses. But who is that hefty 23-year-old Brit with a very expensive price tag?
It didn’t matter much if the Premier League had a new record.
Declan Rice becomes the most expensive signing ever at The Gunners with his transfer to Arsenal, but ends up “only” in third place in the list of the most expensive purchases ever in the Premier League. Romelu Lukaku is also still among the 5 most expensive birds.
Most expensive purchases Premier League Name From To Price Enzo Fernandez Benfica Chelsea €121 million Jack Grealish Aston Villa Manchester City €117.5 million Declan Rice West Ham Arsenal €116.5 million Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan Chelsea €113 million Paul Pogba Juventus Manchester United € 105 million
A vacuum cleaner worth more than 120 million euros, you won’t find it even in the most modern electrical store.
Still, Arsenal managed to get one with Declan Rice. Although Rice is of course much more than just a vacuum cleaner.
A powerhouse pur sang, the defensive midfielder has the lungs of a horse but the feet and vista of a maestro.
And yet it was not always clear.
Expelled at 14
Rice starts his career in Chelsea’s youth ranks. The young Declan plays there together with Mason Mount, among others.
But unlike that Chelsea star, Rice can’t stay. At the age of 14 he is thanked for services rendered. End of the dream of becoming a professional football player?
At least. At West Ham, the youth scouts see the midfielder’s talent and pick him up.
Mount (m) and Rice (r) in their youth at Chelsea.
Lions and snakes
And that turns out to be a bull’s eye. During his time with The Hammers, Rice emerged as the man in midfield.
Not only in the Premier League, but also with the Three Lions.
Gareth Southgate calls him up to the England national team in 2019. Rice has, however, already played three exhibition games for Ireland, where his grandparents come from.
The “betrayal” earns him the nickname “Snake” in Ireland.
Rice with the three English lions on his chest.
It won’t hurt Rice much. More than ever he has been the prototype of the modern midfielder in recent years.
In the 2022-23 season, he held off every Premier League player by a stone’s throw in interceptions.
The fantastic Brit won the ball no less than 334 times. Only Rodri also reached the mark of 300 with his 301 won balls.
And that he is also a master in the transition, they will certainly know in Ghent after his impressive goal in the quarterfinals of the Conference League.
“When I charge at defenders and get a little space to walk with the ball at my feet, then I really feel at my best,” the youngster once said about it.
A modern all-rounder.
But besides being a workhorse, a bear, a snake and one of the English Lions, Rice is also primarily a homebody.
After passages at Chelsea and West Ham, the Londoner is now not far from home again.
The whole world will undoubtedly be watching next season to see if Rice’s wings actually reach far enough for the absolute world top.
2023-07-16 08:57:07
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