West Ham United manager David Moyes has praised Arsenal’s acquisition of Declan Rice, stating that the Gunners secured a bargain deal for the midfielder.
Last summer, Arsenal made Rice the most expensive British footballer in history by paying just over £100m, with an additional £5m in performance-related add-ons.
Despite the hefty price tag, Rice has seamlessly integrated into Mikel Arteta’s squad, quickly establishing himself as a key player at the Emirates Stadium.
Moyes commended Rice’s impact on both ends of the pitch, highlighting his defensive prowess and significant contributions in attack. Overall, Moyes believes that Arsenal made a wise investment in acquiring the talented midfielder.
“I always said, and I think everyone laughed, that he should be worth £150 million,” said Moyes. “I think other players have been sold for close to his price and I don’t think they’ve touched Declan’s level of performance.
“The other thing is that Declan is English, an England international, and he’s 25 now, so he’s still got another six or seven years of his best years yet to come.
“So, I think in time, maybe we’ll look back and think it could have been more. But let’s be fair; I think most people, including the media, everybody else, would have said it was a really good price for Declan at the time.”
Rice’s goal on Saturday helped move the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table, one point clear of Liverpool and two ahead of Manchester City ahead of the pair’s mammoth Super Sunday clash at Anfield.