Declan Rice is on the verge of joining Arsenal in a record-breaking £105million move - nine years since he was released from the Chelsea academy.
The Gunners and West Ham are still locked in negotiations over the final details of the fee but all parties are now moving towards finalising the transfer. Rice is expected to become Arsenal's first signing of the summer after beating Manchester City and Manchester United to his signature.
Rice was linked with a return to Chelsea in 2021 after impressing for the Hammers as they qualified for the Europa League under David Moyes. But the 24-year-old decided to stay at the London Stadium and has since gone on to become one of the most sought after midfielders on the planet.
The Blues have been tipped to sign Rice on numerous occasions and had him at their disposal, before deciding to release him when the England international was 14. Mirror Football have taken a deep dive at the reasons for his initial departure back in 2014 and why he didn't sign two years ago.
Heartbreak as a teenager
Chelsea released Rice for three reasons, including his lack of physicality, as per the Athletic. Rice was more than aware about his flaws and once described himself as 'bambi on ice' at times. Although sports scientists were aware of his growth spurt at the time, the Blues had seen enough and got rid.
Another reason was, ironically, Rice's versatility. A strength of Rice's during his career so far has been his ability to play as a no.6 or no.8 in midfield, as well as dropping back into central defence. During his time at Chelsea, Rice played all across the park, including on the left-wing, but supposedly didn't do enough to earn a new deal.
Sarri wanted Rice
Former Chelsea boss Mauricio Sarri wanted to sign Declan Rice in 2019 after the midfielder broke through into the West Ham first-team. The Italian praised the midfielder before taking on West Ham as Rice continued to be linked with a move to Manchester United and the Blues.
"I think that he’s a very good player, very good in the defensive phase because he’s really very able to recover the ball," Sarri said at the time. "He usually plays very close to the defensive line and, in the first match against West Ham, he was really a very big problem for us.
"I think he is improving in the offensive phase. He has improved during the season because I saw their last matches and I saw a very good midfielder."
Mount makes Rice point
Having impressed for England at Euro 2020, Rice was linked with a move away from West Ham. Chelsea were amongst the clubs tracking his signature ahead of a proposed £70m move. Three Lions teammate and best friend Mason Mount tried to convince him to move to Stamford Bridge.
After Chelsea beat Manchester City to win the Champions League, Mount FaceTimed Rice to show him the winners' medal. According to the Athletic, Mount wanted to remind Rice of the rewards that come with playing for a top European club - and he hoped this would have been enough.
But, despite rejecting several new contract offers, West Ham decided to keep Rice. At the time, he had three years' left to his run on his current deal and the Hammers didn't feel the need to sell. He has since helped them win the Europa Conference League and is on the brink of moving for £105m.
Chelsea, who finished 12th last season, have no European football next season, which would have made it hard for them to convince Rice to make the switch across London. Instead, City and Arsenal have led the race to his signature. West Ham turned down a £90m bid from City on Tuesday, before the Gunners came in with their third offer, in the region of around £100m plus £5m in add-ons.
