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Declan Rice has joined Arsenal from West Ham for club-record £105m; midfielder’s arrival follows that of Kai Havertz from Chelsea for £65m and Jurrien Timber from Ajax for£38m; Mikel Arteta is seeing the rewards of lowering club’s wage bill, says one football finance expert
Arsenal’s £105m record deal for Declan Rice continues their summer of big spending – with more additions expected to follow.
Arsenal have already brought in both Kai Havertz from Chelsea for £65m and Jurrien Timber from Ajax for a fee in the region of £38m
The Gunners have also been linked with Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia as they attempt to overhaul Manchester City following their second-placed finish last season under Mikel Arteta.
The Rice deal has shattered Arsenal’s previous transfer record – the £72m fee paid for Nicolas Pepe in 2019 – and makes him the second-most expensive signing in Premier League history following Enzo Fernandez’s £106.8m move from Benfica to Chelsea last year.
It also ensures that, even with Havertz as their only other confirmed signing so far, Arsenal are by far the biggest spenders in the Premier League in a summer which is already their highest-spending ever.
Their £208m expenditure eclipses the £156.8m spent in the summer of 2021, when Arsenal brought in six players including Ben White (£50m), Martin Odegaard (£34m) and Aaron Ramsdale (£30m).
In the summer of 2022, they spent a further £121.5m, with former Manchester City duo Gabriel Jesus (£45m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£32m) the headline additions.
