Ian Wright reveals he was ‘tapping up’ Declan Rice to join Arsenal four months ago
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has revealed he spoke to Declan Rice about joining the Gunners four months ago during a visit to England’s St George’s Park headquarters.
After weeks of negotiations, the north Londoners finally confirmed Rice’s arrival on Saturday after agreeing a club-record £105million deal with West Ham to sign their skipper.
Wright was ‘tapping up’ Rice
Wright actually popped up in an announcement video from Adidas, appearing to be on the phone to Rice as he said: ‘My friend, no, listen, honestly, I’ve made the move from south to north, it works man, this is the place to be!’
It wouldn’t be the first conversation Wright has had with the 24-year-old about moving to the Emirates, with the Arsenal icon sharing the details of a conversation he had with Rice back in March.
Wright was visiting the England HQ while they were preparing for European Championship qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine and couldn’t resist selling Arsenal – and the prospect of playing alongside Bukayo Saka – to the then West Ham captain.
‘Everyone was saying about when I went to the England squad, I was tapping him up. Yes I f***ing was! Literally, I was begging him,’ said the player-turned-pundit on his Wrighty’s House podcast.
‘I don’t work for the club, I’m an Arsenal fan. I said, “Look at you and Saka, how cool you lot look together”. It’s just excitement.’
Rice’s decision to join Arsenal
Rice had plenty of clubs interested in him this summer – including Premier League champions Manchester City and German giants Bayern Munich – but Arsenal were always his number one choice.
Explaining his decision to join the Gunners, he said: ‘I’ve been looking at Arsenal over the last couple of seasons and the trajectory they’ve been going on.
‘Last season was an outstanding season, blowing pretty much every team out of the water with the exception of Man City.
‘With Mikel and how he works, the squad, how young everyone is, the energy around the club and also the challenge of getting Arsenal back to where they belong, that means a lot to me. I know the fans really want that.
‘For me as a player, I’ve come here really hungry to have more success and to spend my best years at this great club.’
Rice is Arsenal’s third marquee signing
Rice is Arsenal’s third marquee signing of a busy summer, with the north Londoners having also wrapped up deals for Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber who arrived for £65m and £40m from Chelsea and Ajax respectively.
Conclusion
It’s clear that Ian Wright played a key role in persuading Declan Rice to join Arsenal this summer. The former Gunners striker was ‘tapping up’ Rice during a visit to England’s St George’s Park headquarters back in March and his enthusiasm for the move certainly played a part in Rice’s decision. With Rice now on board, Arsenal fans will be hoping that he can help fire them back to the top of English football.