Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice found humor in the fact that he is no longer the English Premier League’s most expensive player of the summer transfer window, following Chelsea’s £115 million deal for Moises Caicedo.
Just over a month ago, Arsenal agreed on a £105 million deal with West Ham for Rice’s signature—a club-record deal that could exceed Manchester City’s £100 million spent on Jack Grealish, depending on add-ons.
However, Chelsea surpassed Arsenal’s expenditure by securing Enzo Fernandez for £107 million back in January. And now, Chelsea has further outdone themselves by beating off competition from Liverpool to sign Caicedo in a record-breaking £115 million deal, setting a new Premier League transfer record.
Rice, who put in an impressive performance during Arsenal’s 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace, couldn’t help but laugh when Caicedo’s record-breaking move was mentioned. Talking to Sky Sports, Rice said, “I had it up on the wall for two weeks! It’s come down already!”
Reflecting on Arsenal’s victory over Palace, Rice added, “Before the game tonight, I was on the way to the stadium, and I thought, just go out there and give it your all tonight, try to put on a show.”
