Declan Rice insisted he needed to leave West Ham to play at “the very highest level of the game” after his record-breaking £105 million move to Arsenal was finally confirmed.
The England midfielder, 24, wrote an emotional open letter to Hammers fans when the biggest transfer between British clubs was confirmed, some 10 days after a fee was agreed for him to move to the Emirates Stadium.
Rice has made no secret of his ambitions to play in the Champions League, discussing his personal targets when playing at the World Cup during last season. It brings an end to Rice’s 10 years at West Ham which culminated in lifting the Europa Conference League last month in Prague.
Manchester City’s £100million move for Jack Grealish two years ago was the previous record transfer between British clubs. West Ham have insisted they did not want to sell Rice but did not want to stand in his way when he made it clear he wanted to leave.
“I am sorry to see Declan leave us, but I believe that everyone at West Ham United should be very proud of the part we have played in his journey from the Academy of Football at Chadwell Heath to becoming the most valuable young player in English football,” said West Ham joint-chair David Sullivan.
“I would like to make it clear to our supporters that we did not want to sell Declan. We wanted to build our team around him and made a series of improved, long-term contract offers to secure his future. However, once Declan made it clear that he wished to move on and seek a new challenge, the Club felt it would not be right to stand in his way, acting in the best interests of West Ham United.”