Declan Rice has been an individual success since joining Arsenal in 2023, but he may well have had another major trophy by now had he heeded the advice of one former Premier League star
The words of ex-Newcastle United midfielder Geremi from two years ago could feel like they are haunting Declan Rice. That’s after the two-time Champions League-winner said he “should not hesitate” to join the Magpies, who have ended their trophy drought since Rice snubbed their advances.
Rice, 26, won the Europa Conference League in his last act with West Ham. With the England star on his way out that summer, Newcastle were among those to have raised an interest in signing him. However, the midfielder ended up ignoring their advances in favour of a £105million transfer to the Emirates.
The former Hammers captain wanted to join a club who would be competing consistently for silverware. But as fate would have it, Newcastle have since ended their 70-year search for a domestic trophy after winning the Carabao Cup in March. They got the better of Liverpool at Wembley to bring home a piece of silverware that was certainly a long time coming.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are still waiting to lift their first trophy since Rice joined their ranks, having not won a major trophy since the FA Cup back in 2020. It briefly looked as though a haul of titles was on the cards this season, only for Mikel Arteta’s aspirations to come crashing down on multiple fronts over just a couple of weeks as they crashed out of the Champions League and saw their Premier League title hopes fade.
The Gunners still finished above Eddie Howe’s men in the Premier League after claiming a third straight runner-up finish. But Newcastle fans would gladly take fifth and a spot in next season’s Champions League if it means getting their hands on a trophy too.
Rice may wonder on some level what might have been, and the words of former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Geremi ring true. The Magpies came in for criticism due to their controversial takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), but the club has quickly made strides to become a significant force in England’s pecking order.
“Newcastle is a great team that is going in the right direction,” Geremi told Lord Ping in April 2023. “The fans are absolutely wonderful – they (Rice and Moussa Diaby, who went on to join Aston Villa from Bayer Leverkusen that summer) should not hesitate to join the club.
“If any Newcastle targets need any advice, they shouldn’t hesitate to call me!”
While they may have missed out on Rice, Newcastle signed Italy international Sandro Tonali from AC Milan that same summer. And the 25-year-old has performed admirably in a very similar box-to-box capacity under Howe.
The manager has also earned plaudits for reinventing former centre-forward Joelinton into a powerful midfield presence. Meanwhile, Bruno Guimaraes has written his name into Newcastle folklore for his performances as skipper.
All in all, the northeast outfit may have very few regrets over missing out of Rice given the midfield corps they’ve built in his absence. Rice seems content in north London, too, though the absence of any silverware to show for his troubles will hurt.
Rice was named Arsenal’s Player of the Season for 2024/25 after impressing in his sophomore campaign. He was also named to both the Champions League Team of the Season and Premier League Fan Team of the Season.
Yet those accolades will count for little should he fail to add any more team titles to his cabinet while with Arsenal. And the player can’t say he wasn’t told his needs would be served well in the northeast.
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