‘I’m so delighted’: Rival admits he’s happy ‘top player’ left his club to join Arsenal

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West Ham United coach Kevin Nolan has praised Declan Rice and how he is ‘so delighted’ for the midfielder at Arsenal.

In the summer, Arsenal paid their London rivals a club-record transfer for Declan Rice, with Nolan stating that he is a ‘top player’, as he told talkSPORT. 

Coming into West Ham United as a fresh-faced teenager from Chelsea to helping the team end its 40+ year wait to win a trophy. 

It was the perfect ending for Rice at the London Stadium, with Nolan admitting he has gone to a ‘top club’ and to the next level following his move.

As of this moment, to nobody’s surprise, it hasn’t fazed the hard-hitting midfielder because he has started like a house on fire.

Prior to the international break, he scored his first goal for the club, and now he will be preparing to play in the Champions League for the first time in his career.

Rice’s club-record transfer from West Ham to Arsenal

“I am so delighted he is doing so well,” said Nolan. “He has got everything. A maturity beyond his years. We have seen that in the last few years the way he has handled West Ham and the captaincy.

“He has gone to a top club, in terms of Arsenal, who are fighting for a Champions League. I am not saying we’re not a top club, but he wanted to be in that next level. Trying to pip Man City to the title. 

“We always knew he was going to be a top player – did we think, at that time, when he trained with us? Did I think he was going to be top, top? Did I think he was going to be £100 million+? No, I didn’t.

“But I thought he was going to be a Premier League player because you saw the build in him, the way he carried himself and nothing really fazed him.”

Rice in the Champions League

This is the biggest and toughest level Rice will play at and it’s where he starts proving why Arsenal put £100 million+ on the table for his services.

But he isn’t going to be the only one out to prove himself because a number of Arsenal stars will be playing in the Champions League for the first time.

From Bukayo Saka to Gabriel Martinelli, it’s going to be interesting to see how they all fare because this will be their chance to prove their worth and go to the next level in their careers.