Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has jokingly claimed he and his son tricked Declan Rice into signing for their favorite team Arsenal. Starmer revealed he sneakily slid the Arsenal contract under a party program, which Rice unknowingly signed, thus committing his future to the Gunners.
Arsenal Beat Manchester City In The Race For Declan Rice
Premier League aspirants Arsenal signed Rice from local rivals West Ham United for a club-record £105 million ($137 million) in the 2023-24 summer transfer window. The north Londoners could not rest on their laurels during the transfer despite agreeing to shell out a record-breaking fee.
At one point, it looked like Manchester City would beat them to the punch, but Mikel Arteta ultimately did a better job at convincing the England international of the work they were doing. Rice finally joined on July 15 and has played 48 matches for them since. The 25-year-old has scored six times and provided nine times.
Sir Keir Starmer Says He Tricked Declan Rice Into Joining The Gunners
According to Starmer, however, the Rice transfer saga played out a lot differently. In an interview with The Telegraph, he jokingly revealed how he tricked the Englishman into signing the Arsenal contract.
He said (via GOAL):
“So, when we played away at West Ham last year and Declan was still a West Ham player I took my son. Mark Noble, Mr West Ham [now the club’s sporting director], took us down to meet Declan. And so my boy had his programme open ready for signing and obviously we put the contract [for Arsenal] in underneath! Declan signed it and thought he was signing the programme, but actually he was signing for Arsenal!”
The north London side are currently leading the Premier League race. However, second-place Manchester City will claim their record, fourth-consecutive title if they win their remaining four matches this season.
A staunch Arsenal supporter, Starmer, wants Manchester City to slip up but understands it is a big ask.
Giving his verdict on the title race, he added:
“It depends on City. It’s the best title race for ages, this year, and I have been going every game home and away. City are good though. Look at [Kevin] De Bruyne. Look at [Erling] Haaland. These are great players.”
The Londoners will return to Premier League action against Bournemouth on May 4. Manchester City, meanwhile, will face Wolverhampton Wanderers later that afternoon.