What could so easily have been a smooth transfer forDeclan RicebyArsenalhas now turned into a farcical saga after the Gunners low-balled West Ham with their valuation.
It was known for weeks that the Hammers wanted £120m or £100m plus a player from a club in the Champions League, perSky Sports.
WhyArsenalthen felt that an £80m bid, followed by another for £90m was going to be acceptable to the east Londoners is anybody’s guess.
West Ham, quite rightly, have held firm over Rice’s fee and have ɾєρօɾτedly even turned down a first offer from Man City (viaThe Athletic– subscription required), who have muscled in on the Ԁєɑł.
At this pointArsenalare running a huge risk of not getting their major target for the second summer in a row, and for all of the noise coming out of the Emirates Stadium about new signings, the inescapable fact is they struggle to attract the bigger names because of sheer cheek when it comes to transfer fees, thus allowing other clubs to gazump them.
L’Equipe(subscription required) ɾєρօɾτ thatArsenalare now going after Youssouf Fofana as an alternative to Rice, and that arguably tells you all you need to know about the current mindset at the club.
Though they haven’t quite admitted defeat on Rice at this moment, it’s clear they want to get him for as low a fee as possible, and that won’t suit West Ham.
If Mikel Arteta wants his club to be up there and challenging in the major competitions, then his board have to do better.
