West Ham United announced today, Saturday, the departure of English national team midfielder Declan Rice as part of a record British transfer. Rice, 24, is linked with a move to Arsenal after leading West Ham to win the UEFA Europa Conference League, while his team finished 14th in the Premier League last season. David Sullivan, the joint chairman of West Ham, stated in a statement: "Everyone at West Ham is proud to have been part of his journey from the academy to becoming the best young player in English football." He added, "I want to clarify to our fans that we did not want to sell Declan; we wanted to build a team around him and ensure continued development, and we offered him a long-term contract to secure his future." He continued, "But once Declan expressed his desire to move on and take on new challenges, the club felt it was not right to stand in his way, and we acted in the best way to safeguard West Ham's interests."
Rice, who started playing at Chelsea's academy before moving to West Ham at the age of 14, is leaving the club after ten years. In a lengthy message to West Ham fans, he said, "I knew from the first moment I arrived at Chadwell Heath (the training ground) that I had found another place I could consider home." He added, "Looking back now, I realize how much Chadwell Heath has influenced shaping me as a player and a man; I found the perfect place to build confidence and to be able to focus, have determination, and ambition to thrive. I want you to know how difficult it was to leave this environment that I loved and enjoyed so much, but in the end, my ambition was to play at the highest levels of sport." Arsenal, led by coach Mikel Arteta, is looking to sign Rice to help close the gap at the top of the Premier League after finishing as runners-up behind last season's treble winners Manchester City.
