It’s a bummer he hasn’t worked out, but I wouldn’t slate him. The move to us might have come too early for him. I never really saw the talent – he seems tidy at times but also has a lot of difficulty with positioning and plays timidly – but it was a low-risk gamble and he’s been professional to my knowledge. Things can of course change, but I would be fine with him seeking opportunities elsewhere. Hopefully we can get a fee that’s not too much lower than what we paid!
I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. City really spooked us, and we may have been surprised by Rice’s level of interest in them.
It’s just that of late we seemed to have a Plan B ready to go if a team played hardball with us (like with the Mudryk saga). This deal feels very different: we’re letting West Ham kind of run the show here. Arteta clearly values Rice exceptionally high, but it feels like a real divergence from our recent deal-making.