It was a weekend of huge success for Declan Rice and Arsenal, but the same could not be said for the £104million midfielder’s former side West Ham United
Declan Rice has admitted he was left devastated when West Ham United were relegated to the Championship. While the Arsenal midfielder was celebrating winning the Premier League, his former side’s campaign ended in the worst possible fashion.
The Hammers beat Leeds United 3-0 but were relegated as a result of Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 home victory over Everton. There was footage of Rice’s disappointed reaction when the Irons’ relegation was confirmed.
He has since taken to social media to make clear his sadness about the situation at the London Stadium. In Instagram, he wrote: “I’m absolutely gutted to see West Ham relegated.
“A club that really does mean so much to me. As I said before, I wouldn’t be where I am today without everything the club has done for me.
“With that being said, I have no doubt they’ll be back where they belong in the Premier League in no time. I will be supporting always.”
Rice made 245 appearances for West Ham, contributing 15 goals and 13 assists over the course of seven years in east London. When he left the club for £104m in 2023, he was briefly the Premier League’s record signing, until Chelsea surpassed it by signing Moises Caicedo.
Seeing his former side be sent down to the Championship for the first time since 2011 evidently hurt the England international. However, he will need to move past the pain ahead of this Saturday’s Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Rice captained West Ham to the 2023 Europa Conference League title and he will need to be similarly influential if Mikel Arteta’s side are to beat the Champions League holders.
Shortly after winning the Premier League, Rice said: “I think that’s the message from the manager already. We just need to enjoy today, but tomorrow it’s full focus on PSG.
“We’ve got a massive opportunity there. We want that, you know, we want the double, we want to push for that.”
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