November 20th 2023.
Declan Rice was well aware of the pressure that came with his £105m transfer fee from West Ham to Arsenal in the summer. It was a hefty price tag that shocked many, but the 24-year-old was determined to prove his worth.
"It's £100 million, it's a lot of money, I could understand the pressure that comes with it," Rice said while on England duty. "People need to see performances straight away. I want to re-pay the club straight away, they have invested a lot of money in me, I need to prove why I can go there and change things."
He admitted that the transition was difficult in the initial stages, but says he quickly got over it.
"When the transfer was going through I was very nervous because of the price tag. It's natural to think about that. You're a human being bought for £105 million, it doesn't feel very normal! But that was because of what I'd done at West Ham, what they valued me at. When I signed for Arsenal I just thought, 'I just need to be Declan Rice', be myself, don't be any different, everything will go smoothly."
Rice sympathises with fellow teammate Jack Grealish who also had to deal with an immense transfer fee when he moved to Manchester City.
"The first three weeks of pre-season were really tough in terms of the change," said Rice. "When you're at a new job you start to feel really settled after a few weeks. That really feels the case now. In terms of the price tag, I don't really think about it, I just play the games and try to play as well as possible.
"I can see why Jack struggled maybe at the start - mentally. He was a £100 million footballer but as he wasn't playing as much, it was probably as bit different for him. Now he's flying and it's the same for me."
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