Exclusive: West Ham have responded to a Declan Rice bonus cash claim that is doing the rounds as Arsenal get their hopes up.
Arsenal and their fans are leaving no stone unturned in trying to motivate West Ham to help them win the Premier League title.
The stage is set for a final day title decider in the Premier League this Sunday.
And the spotlight is now firmly fixed on West Ham as they head to Arsenal’s rivals for the trophy, Manchester City.
Arsenal must beat Everton at home and hope West Ham can do them a monumental favour at the Etihad.
The irony of the situation has not been lost on fans of the Hammers or Gunners.
West Ham supporters have been mercilessly goaded by some of their Arsenal counterparts after they swiped away their captain Declan Rice in a £105m deal last summer.
Hammers fans knew Rice was leaving but were angered by his decision to snub Man City for a London rival.
Delicious Rice irony for West Ham
To rub salt in the wound, Rice said he left West Ham for Arsenal to compete for and win the biggest trophies around.
They don’t come much bigger than the Premier League of course and as fate would have it, the title dreams of Arsenal and Rice rest in the hands of his old team.
There has been a big focus on integrity – or lack of it – in the Premier League this week. And the Gunners will be hoping West Ham show much more of that than Tottenham did in a 2-0 defeat to Man City in midweek.
Going into the game the Gunners have been desperately scrambling for a semblance of hope that West Ham will have significant motivation for the clash with Man City beyond professional pride.
West Ham have nothing to play for after their ninth placed finish was confirmed by Man United and Chelsea wins in midweek.
Giving David Moyes a big send off? Already did it last weekend.
Celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan has even rather pathetically issued a rallying cry on talkSPORT begging West Ham to ‘do it for Rice’.
In the end some Arsenal fans have resorted to the lure of money.
West Ham respond to Rice £5m bonus cash claim
Reports and rumour has spread like wildfire on social media that it is very much in West Ham’s interests for Arsenal to win the title.
Why? Five million reasons according to the claims.
When Rice signed for Arsenal the deal was said to be £100m up front plus another £5m in add-ons, as reported by Goal.
It has been speculated that the £5m add-on will be paid to West Ham if Arsenal win the Premier League title.
That is obviously a significant amount of money. Especially in light of strict PSR rules governing spending.
So we reached out to the top source inside West Ham for clarification.
West Ham have responded to the Rice bonus cash claim as Arsenal get their hopes up.
Hammers News was very much under the impression that there is no £5m bounty on the line if Arsenal win the league.
Bad news from the top for the Gunners
And the top spokesman at the club has confirmed the truth behind bonus payments due from the Gunners.
“No, it is not true we get a £5m bonus payment if Arsenal win the title,” the key senior West Ham contact told Hammers News.
“The deal is that we get an extra £1m each time Arsenal qualify for the Champions League in the next five years.”
So there you have it West Ham and Arsenal fans.
Maybe Arsenal should have tried to negotiate that clause in themselves rather than spend all last summer trying to haggle West Ham to lower the price.
I bet Edu and co wish they could insert such a clause now?
The Hammers banked their first extra £1m a long while ago given Arsenal have been confirmed in the top four for some time.
So the only hope the Gunners seem to have is Jarrod Bowen doing the business for them.
Desperate to make the England squad for the Euros, Bowen might be a man on a mission at the Etihad.
Bowen has been training with Michael Owen this week ahead of the Man City clash.
And Arsenal will love what Owen saw.
If West Ham do lose to Man City as expected, was it the moment in the video below that truly cost Arsenal the title?
