What was key in Declan Rice’s Arsenal move?

We were made to wait, but Declan Rice is finally an Arsenal player after everything has been ticked off.

There were some tense moments over the last few days, but in the end, Mikel Arteta got his man, and Arsenal has a new star midfielder.

With Rice so beloved by the West Ham faithful, naturally, leaving such a superb place was tough.

That is a big feather in the cap of Arteta and what he and Edu are currently building in north London. With Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber also joining, along with the re-signings of William Saliba and Reiss Nelson, the summer has gotten off to a fantastic start.

With Rice being Arsenal’s No.1 target this summer, to finally get the deal done is superb, and now attention can turn to outgoings.

Rice’s deal was a big domino to fall, and with still ample time to get other deals done, Arsenal has shown its intent to try and close the gap on Manchester City.

But, with the signing of Rice and another huge amount of funds spent, expectations on the Gunners are now at unprecedented levels for next season.

But that’s just how we like it.