Declan Rice penned an emotional open letter to West Ham fans as the club finally confirmed his exit.
The England midfielder is set to be announced as an Arsenal player on Saturday after the Hammers agreed a £105million deal earlier this month.
2
In a lengthy letter to fans, Rice said his goodbyes after ‘an absolute whirlwind of emotion’ over the last few weeks.
“I want you to know how tough a decision it has been for me to leave an environment that I have loved and cherished so much,” he said.
“This club and its supporters will always be in my heart, and forever a part of who I am.
“Ultimately, though, it has only ever been about my ambition to play at the very highest level of the game.
“Playing on the opposite team to West Ham for the first time will be an unusual experience. I’m not sure yet exactly how I will feel, but I also know you will all understand and respect that my professional loyalties have to now lie with my new club.”
Rice’s last act as a West Ham player was to lift the Europa Conference League trophy last month to secure the club’s first piece of silverware since the 1980 FA Cup and a first European trophy since 1965.
The England international made 245 appearances for the club and manager David Moyes was understandably sad to see him leave.
“I’d like to personally thank Declan for everything he has done during his time at West Ham United,” he said.
2
“Obviously it is sad when we say goodbye to someone who has been with us for so long but we must now look forward.
“As history shows, no player is ever bigger than the club. Our entire focus now is on building upon the success we enjoyed last season, adding to our talented Europa Conference League title-winning squad as we enter our third consecutive season in Europe, and continuing to develop the best young talent through our successful academy.”
Joint-chair David Sullivan added: “I am sorry to see Declan leave us but I believe that everyone at West Ham United should be very proud of the part we have played in his journey from the Academy of Football at Chadwell Heath to becoming the most valuable young player in English football.
“I would like to make it clear to our supporters that we did not want to sell Declan. We wanted to build our team around him and made a series of improved, long-term contract offers to secure his future.
“However, once Declan made it clear that he wished to move on and seek a new challenge, the club felt it would not be right to stand in his way, acting in the best interests of West Ham United.”
