Declan Rice Unfazed By Pressure Of £105m Price Tag

Rice made the switch from West Ham United to Arsenal this summer shortly after leading the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory.

The 24-year-old has made a respectable start to life at his new club, scoring two goals in 12 Premier League appearances.

While other big-money signings in the Premier League have buckled under the pressure of their hefty transfer fees, Rice says he feels relaxed as he allows his football to do the talking.

When the transfer was going through I was very nervous because of the price tag,” he said.

“It’s natural to think about that. You’re a human being bought for £105m, it doesn’t feel very normal. But that was because of what I’d done at West Ham, what they valued me at.

“When I signed for Arsenal, I just thought I just need to be Declan Rice, be myself, don’t be any different, everything will go smoothly.

“The first three weeks of pre-season were really tough in terms of the change. When you’re at a new job you start to feel really settled after a few weeks.

“That really feels the case now. In terms of the price tag, I don’t really think about it, I just play the games and try to play as well as possible.

“Honestly, I just try to play my football. I don’t let it affect me in any way, shape or form. I just go to training, try to train as well as possible.”