Declan Rice very nearly joined a different Premier League team before Arsenal, and it wasn’t Manchester City

Declan Rice is one of Arsenal’s best ever signings.

Despite costing a mammoth £105million from West Ham, the England midfielder has been worth every penny.

When he arrived at the Emirates in the summer of 2023, it was assumed that his signature came down to two clubs: Arsenal and Manchester City.

Turns out, it wasn’t that straightforward.

Declan Rice considered moving to Newcastle before Arsenal switch

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk, presenter Pete Graves dropped an interesting revelation about the saga.

He claims that a top boss at Newcastle told him that Eddie Howe tried really hard to hijack the move, and Rice actually took a step back to think about going to St James’ Park.

“I got told this by someone very high up at Newcastle, that Declan Rice obviously signed for Arsenal and he was always wanting to sign for Arsenal,” Graves said.

“But I know that Eddie Howe made a real big play for Declan Rice as well. And I know that Declan considered it.

“I just think the sliding doors of — I’m not going to talk too much, we’re talking about Arsenal — but Declan Rice stopped and considered Newcastle, ended up going to Arsenal.”

Everyone remembers Manchester City throwing a bid in late on, but Newcastle making a massive push behind the scenes wasn’t widely known.

Ironically, had he joined Newcastle, he would’ve partnered Bruno Guimaraes in midfield. Three years on, after multiple heated battles on the pitch, he is set to do that in red and white.

Since joining, Rice has arguably been Arsenal’s most important player. He was the engine and the heartbeat of the title-winning side and is many people’s pick for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Now, alongside Guimaraes, Arsenal surely boast the best midfield in the Premier League. The duo are the perfect pair for someone like Myles Lewis-Skelly to model his game on.

Rice has been a transformational signing for Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal would not be Premier League champions without him.