An Arsenal player has now suggested that he turned down a move to Manchester City last summer.
The Gunners have gone toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League for two consecutive seasons.
Mikel Arteta has built a tremendous squad at the Emirates Stadium, and if things go our way in the next three weeks, we will end the season as the champions.
That would be absolutely amazing, and almost all of our players deserve huge praise for how well they have done over the last nine months.
One of them, in particular, has arguably been our best player, but he could’ve easily been at Manchester City now.
Declan Rice explains why he snubbed Manchester City for Arsenal
Arsenal signed Declan Rice for a club record £100 million with a further £5 million agreed in potential add-ons.
The Englishman has been a game-changer for us, hasn’t he?
Rice hit the ground running from day one. He was brilliant in the Community Shield before the start of this season, and he has barely put a foot wrong in the famous red and white since.
As much as we criticise our owner Stan Kroenke, he deserves a lot of praise for sanctioning this move, and Mikel Arteta warrants a pat on his back as well for convincing Rice to join Arsenal.
However, if either of them had made a mistake during negotiations last summer, Rice would’ve ended up at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola wanted to sign the Englishman and entered talks with West Ham United to get him.
However, Rice had decided that he was only going to join Arsenal, and that helped us pip Manchester City to his signature.
Now, the 25-year-old has explained why he chose the Gunners over Guardiola’s side.
When asked if it feels strange now that he could’ve been playing alongside Rodri, Rice told The Athletic with a smile: “I know!
“But this project seemed more exciting and that’s why I chose to come to Arsenal, because I believe we’re on to big things here.”
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Declan Rice’s stats this season will blow you away
Declan Rice has been a revelation for Arsenal this season.
The 25-year-old, as we said above, has barely put a foot wrong under Mikel Arteta, and he is a genuine contender to win the Player of the Season award.
In 34 starts in the Premier League this season, Rice has scored six goals and provided seven assists, which is the best return of his career so far.
He averages 73 touches of the ball, 1.3 key passes and has maintained an excellent 91 per cent passing accuracy per game over the course of this season.
Defensively, Rice has been brilliant too. He boasts 2.2 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 1.5 clearances and a very impressive 4.7 ball recoveries every game.
He has made zero errors that have led to a shot or a goal all season, which shows just how incredible he has been this campaign (SofaScore).
Manchester City remain the favourites to win the Premier League title, but if Arsenal can pip them, we think Rice deserves to win the Player of the Season award.