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Declan Rice Reveals The Main Reason Why He Snubbed Man City To Join Arsenal
Declan Rice has revealed the main reason why he chose to join Arsenal instead of Manchester City last summer.
The two clubs had been in a tug of war to sign the much revered West Ham and England midfielder in July, with Mail Sport reporting that City ultimately pulled out of the race to land the 25 year-old.
Pep Guardiola’s side were unwilling to stretch to West Ham’s asking price of £105million, with Rice ultimately joining Mikel Arteta’s side, where he has gone on to enjoy a sensational season, leading the Gunners to the top of the Premier League standings.
With a handful of games left to play this season, City and Arsenal will now go head-to-head to win the Premier League title, with just one point separating both sides at the top of the table.
Rice will be hoping to lead his side to glory this season and has insisted that his decision to move to the north London outfit is one that he has no regrets over.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, Rice was asked about the hypothetical scenario that if he had joined the Treble winners, he could have been playing alongside Rodri in midfield.
‘I know,’ he said. ‘But this project [Arsenal] seemed more exciting and that’s why I chose to come to Arsenal, because I believe we’re on to big things here.’
He has been integral to Arsenal’s performances this season, with Rice scoring six goals in 35 Premier League appearances, guiding Arteta’s side to the top of the table.
Rodri, meanwhile, has continued to impress following on from his standout 2022-23 season, helping Man City keep the pressure on Arsenal this season.
Rice also added that he relished his battles with the Spaniard’s battles in the centre of the park, noting their different styles of play while claiming that the City midfielder was the best in the world at his craft.
‘Good. I enjoy it,’ he said when quizzed on what it’s like to play against Rodri. ‘We’re different players, I feel.
‘With Rodri, he was born in Spain, he’s always been a natural No 6. You can just tell by the way he plays that he’s worked under Pep (Guardiola) for so long.
‘He’s a lot more structured than I am. I’d say I’m a lot more off-the-cuff. Obviously, this season I’ve been more structured. But in terms of the way I play, I feel like… being free a little bit more.
The England midfielder added: ‘There are different things that we complement each other on — but no doubt, he’s the best in the world.’
In April last year, Arsenal, who had gone top of the Premier League standings, conceded three draws to Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, before suffering a 4-1 defeat by Man City.
It was during those four matches that Arsenal effectively surrendered what would have been their first league title since 2004 to City.
This season, Rice has helped Arsenal motor their way back to the top of the league but will need Man City to drop points in the run-in if they are to finally end their wait for a league title.
Should both Arsenal and City win the remainder of their matches, the Gunners will finish two points behind Guardiola’s side in second place.
Arteta’s side host Bournemouth in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at the Emirates this weekend, before taking on Man United at Old Trafford and Everton at home on the final day of the season.
City, meanwhile, are in action against Wolves on Saturday evening, before taking on Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham.
With things heating up at the top of the table, Rodri has insisted his side will do everything in their power to win their fourth consecutive Premier League title.
‘It would be history. No team has won four Premier League titles in a row and we want to be the first,’ he said.
‘We need to keep those blue ribbons on the trophy and we will do everything we can from now until the end of the season to do that.’
Manuel Neuer has been called up to Germany’s World Cup squad – two years after his international retirement.
The 40-year-old was named as part of Julian Nagelsmann’s 26-man squad for the tournament this summer, having not featured for his country since Euro 2024.
Among the list include Premier League players Malick Thiaw and Nick Woltemade – both of Newcastle – Arsenal striker Kai Havertz, Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz and Brighton’s Pascal Gross.
Injured duo Serge Gnabry and Anton Stach and forwards Karim Adeyemi, Kevin Schade and Niclas Fullkrug are among those to miss out.
Germany’s World Cup squad in full
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Pascal Gross (Brighton), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle)
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has opened up on the club’s decision to appoint Xabi Alonso as their new manager.
The Blues confirmed the Spaniard as their next head coach following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, with Alonso set to take charge ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Mikel had previously been vocal about Chelsea’s managerial philosophy, urging the club’s ownership to move away from short-term head coaches and interim appointments and instead bring in a proper manager with full control over the squad
Speaking on his most recent podcast, Mikel said:
“I am glad the owners listened to me, and listened to the fans.
“Forget about coaches, what we have always had are managers, and what we need is a manager who decides on the players he wants out and the players who can stay.
“We need a strong personality, and that is what we have got now in Alonso.
“That title has been changed from coach to manager, but I hope it’s not just words and he is actually allowed to manage the squad. But I am very happy with the appointment.”
Chelsea are still in the hunt for Europa League football, and a win over Sunderland on the final day of the Premier League season would go a long way in determining whether Alonso inherits a European stage to build on next season.
Enzo Maresca is believed to have signed a three-year deal to replace outgoing Man City manager Pep Guardiola, after it was revealed that the legendary head coach will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season.
Speculation around Guardiola’s departure date has been rife as the season draws to a close, despite the Catalan having one year left on his contract.
According to report, Man City’s sponsors were among those to have been told that Guardiola will be calling time on a remarkable trophy-ladened spell on Sunday.
The report also shared that Maresca, Guardiola’s former assistant, was a front-runner for the vacant spot at the dugout, with Fabrizio Romano confirming on Tuesday morning that the ex-Chelsea manager will be taking over.
The Italian head coach has been out of work since his mutual departure from Stamford Bridge under strained circumstances on January 1.
But even before his acrimonious mid-season exit, Maresca has been viewed as a long-term successor to Guardiola following their stint working together at Man City.
The 46-year-old served as Guardiola’s assistant between 2022 and 2023 after previously coaching Man City’s youth sides, before departing to earn Championship promotion with Leicester.
Maresca then went on to win the Uefa Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea during his 18-month spell in west London.
Guardiola is set to celebrate his time in English football with an open-top bus parade in Manchester after winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season, but until Monday night, the manager had been notably vague over his future plans.
But before news broke of his shock exit, Guardiola had been keen to tamp down any suggestions that he would be commemorated with any fanfare.
‘The club don’t have to do anything, honestly,’ Guardiola, who has yet to officially confirm his departure, said. ‘The important thing in our lives is that when you look back, you can look with a big smile and say “that was good”.
‘Bernardo (Silva) and John (Stones) can feel that. We spoke about it over the last few days. When you’re old, a grandfather, you can look at the memories. That is the most important thing in life.’
Tired of addressing his contractual situation, Guardiola added with a dose of sarcasm: ‘Whatever happens at the end of the season – and when I extend my contract for three more years – I can look back and say, “how nice has that been?”
‘That is the most important thing by far. Most of the people who lived this time here together can feel it.’
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