Former Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has signed Arsenal’s Declan Rice for West Ham in a blockbuster deal.
West Ham fans had long known that Declan Rice would be sold in the summer before he finally completed his £105m move to Arsenal.
Hammers supporters accepted the beloved captain’s departure just over 18 months before he joined the Gunners, but for a long time Manchester United appeared to be the more likely destination.
Man United were the club that probably needed the former West Ham midfielder the most, both on and off the pitch.
And rumors abound that the Red Devils and Rice’s boyhood club Chelsea have been in talks to sign him from West Ham. Arsenal announced the signing of a new contract with Declan Rice
However, Arsenal arrived on the scene earlier in the year and despite the reported interest of Erik ten Hag, he got there.
The Gunners quickly realized what West Ham fans have been saying for years, that Rice is one of the best.
His performances at Arsenal – amid Man United’s dismal start to the season – have sparked questions as to why the Old Trafford club did not try to sign Rice from West Ham.
Especially when they had an offer for Champions League football after Rice made his desire to play at that level
Now former Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has struck a big deal with West Ham for Arsenal’s funnyman Rice. Solskjaer gave an interview to The Athletic which raised eyebrows amid Man United’s struggles.
And in it, Solskjaer claims Man United signed Rice from West Ham for “much cheaper” than Arsenal paid.
As well as claiming he had a commercial deal in place with West Ham for new Arsenal hero Rice, Solskjaer claims he wanted to bring a number of other top stars to Man United.
The claim will no doubt amuse Arsenal, who will enjoy even more the fact that they managed to sign Rice from the Hammers, in front of a club still so often called the greatest in the world. “We couldn’t buy the players I mentioned for the club,” Solskjaer said.
“Erling Haaland, before he made his debut at Salzburg. Declan Rice, who wouldn’t have paid what he did in the summer. We talked about Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed ready players then and there.
– We really wanted Jude Bellingham – he is a Man United player, but I respect that he chose Dortmund. Apparently there was a meaning to this…
MI would have signed Kane one day of the week and I understood that he wanted to come. But the club had no budget with the financial constraints caused by Covid-19, no bottom line.
