‘Doesn’t feel normal’: 24-year-old says he was very nervous when Arsenal were trying to sign him this summer

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Declan Rice has admitted that he was very nervous when Arsenal were closing in on signing him in the summer, conceding that it is not normal to be at the centre of a £105 million transfer saga.

Rice was speaking – in comments reported by the Guardian – about the fact that he became the Gunners’ record signing in the summer.

Declan Rice says he was very nervous before Arsenal move

Declan Rice has taken absolutely no time at all to become a stalwart of the Arsenal side. Some would have expected Mikel Arteta‘s men to end up with egg on their face after spending more than £100 million on the 24-year-old in the summer.

But he has been outstanding. Rio Ferdinand noted that Rice deserves enormous credit as no-one is talking about his transfer fee any longer. Meanwhile, David Dein suggested at the weekend that he would have sanctioned a big-money move for Rice if he was still in charge.

Certainly, Rice has turned out to be a better signing than many would have expected. In fact, the midfielder may be one of those who has almost surprised himself with his form. The England international has opened up about the concerns he had before making the move in the summer.

“When the transfer was going through I was very nervous,” he said, as reported by the Guardian. “It’s natural. You’re a human being bought for £105m – it doesn’t feel normal. But that was because of what I’d done at West Ham. When I signed for Arsenal, I just thought: ‘I just need to be Declan Rice.’ I just try to play my football.”

Midfielder manages to prove yet another point in his career

Rice has managed to step up every time a hurdle has been put in front of him throughout his career. He is someone who has already made over 300 appearances in all competitions for club and country. He has barely missed a game during his career due to injury.

So it should really have come as no surprise that he was able to make the step up at Arsenal. And he should only continue to get better; surrounded by a group of players who appear to have so much potential.