Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has explained why the club pulled out of a deal for Declan Rice this summer.
Arsenal signed Declan Rice from West Ham United in a big-money deal over the summer, but the midfielder easily could have gone elsewhere.
The Gunners had to fend off competition from Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea, among others, and Bayern Munich were the primary overseas club chasing a deal.
In the end, Bayern pulled out and turned to other players, and club president Herbert Hainer has explained why.
“With the Declan Rice deal, given our financial possibilities, we had to set other priorities,” Hainer said. “What remains is the club. That’s why you have to make decisions in the interests of the club.”
For Arsenal fans, the whole situation turned out pretty well. Rice ended up playing for the Gunners, and Bayern used their money to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur instead.
Chelsea had attempted to sign Rice in the January transfer window, and reports suggest the player was initially open to the move, but wasn’t sold by their pitch.
By contrast, Mikel Arteta gave Rice a lengthy hands-on presentation, making it clear to the 24-year-old he would be a staple of the team for several seasons if all goes to plan.
The former West Ham United man also worried that Graham Potter wouldn’t be the manager he’d end up playing under at Chelsea, and those fears were proven right as Potter was sacked.
Rice was won over by Arteta’s proposal, making the Gunners his priority as Chelsea and Bayern Munich faded out of contention.
The midfielder also spoke with Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, and Ian Wright about the move. But nothing they said put him off ultimately joining Arsenal.
