England midfielder Declan Rice was one of the players in high demand during the last transfer window. His top-class performances for West Ham United in the previous season had earned him interest from quite a few top European sides. Premier League sides Manchester City and Arsenal went on a bidding war to secure the player’s services. However, in the end, it was Arsenal who signed the midfielder for a record fee of $128 million.
City boss Pep Guardiola recently opened up about the club failing to sign the former West Ham star. The player was on the Spaniard’s radar for two years. But Gunners boss Mikel Arteta persuaded the 24-year-old to move to the Emirates Stadium. The City boss made a cheeky suggestion that he could have used Rice on Sunday afternoons against the Gunners at the Emirates. This is because of the absence of his main man Rodri.
In the interview, Guardiola said, “Everybody knows we wanted Declan Rice, we could play him when Rodri could not play, but in the end, Arsenal pushed more and wanted him more We could not reach Arsenal’s offer in that position. We could not afford it, maybe if the price had been less.”
🎙️ Pep Guardiola on Declan Rice: “For sure everybody knows City wanted him, we wanted him. He could play not just when Rodri could not.
At the end, Arsenal pushed more and wanted him more, maybe Arteta was more convincing than me, or the club itself, or their offer.”
(Source:… pic.twitter.com/5e0b0s38cj
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) October 8, 2023
The former Barcelona manager ended by saying, “Normally when Manchester City spends this amount of money, it is considered crazy. When others spend it, how smart they are! ‘Arsenal believed they had to do it. That’s more than fine. He is an exceptional holding midfield player.’
Arsenal did break their transfer record for getting Rice’s services. The club would hope that he would be the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle that would help them win a couple of titles this season.
Pep Guardiola confirms City to face Arsenal without their three key players
Manchester City is ready to face Arsenal today in the 8th week of the Premier League. Both teams are quite strong and are currently in the second and third position of the Premier League. Although City seems to have a disadvantage in today’s game as they are going to miss three of their key players.
According to reports, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that defender John Stones, and midfielders Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne will miss today’s clash against the Gunners. The Spaniard said, “John Stones is not ready to play. Kevin comes in at different times, either before training or for his treatment. After training he sees physios, and so on. Of course, I see him every day and he’s getting better, and his mood is good. Hopefully (he will be back) sooner than expected he will be back.”
Rodri 🟥
Kevin De Bruyne 🤕
Bernardo Silva 🤕
John Stones 🤕@ManCity have some key players missing for their upcoming fixtures… pic.twitter.com/78kh10SfTZ— Premier League (@premierleague) September 29, 2023
The former Barcelona manager then added, “Rodri is maybe the best or in the top two or three best-holding midfielders in the world. Like I said, he’s not here and we’ll have to find a solution with our players and how we want to play.”
The manager also revealed that he hadn’t yet decided who would replace these three in today’s starting lineup. However, they have options like Kalvin Phillips and Mateo Kovacic to step up and show their class.