Arsenal: Eni Aluko claims she’s been proved right over Declan Rice Transfer News

Eni Aluko, former England forward, has stood by her previous remarks on the Declan Rice transfer battle and believes recent developments have proved her right. Aluko also addressed the backlash she received for her comments, stating that it was driven by sexism.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Aluko had stated that Manchester City’s interest in signing Rice was not genuine and that their bid was made at the behest of Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant. Her comments were met with criticism and sparked a heated debate.

However, recent events have unfolded in a way that supports Aluko’s earlier claims. Arsenal made two unsuccessful bids for Rice, which were subsequently rejected by West Ham. The Hammers also turned down a £90 million offer from Manchester City. These developments seem to align with Aluko’s assertion that City’s interest in Rice might not have been as substantial as initially suggested.

Aluko has highlighted the backlash she faced following her remarks, stating that it was driven by sexism. It is essential to foster a respectful and inclusive environment in discussions around football transfers, where opinions can be shared without resorting to discrimination or personal attacks.

The Declan Rice transfer saga continues to unfold, and as the situation develops, it will be interesting to see how Aluko’s perspective and analysis are perceived in the broader context of the transfer market. Regardless of the outcome, promoting open and respectful dialogue on such matters is crucial, allowing for diverse opinions to be expressed without fear of prejudice or bias.

Ultimately, the transfer market is a complex and dynamic environment, subject to numerous factors and negotiations. As the saga surrounding Declan Rice’s potential move to Arsenal progresses, it is important to approach discussions with objectivity and respect, considering the perspectives of various individuals involved.

‘I think there’s a lot of cat and mouse going on here,’ Aluko said. ‘As a sporting director I used to do this a lot.

‘I used to call up a club, a big club, and say, “right can you put a bid in” and that would basically force my owner to put a higher bid in.

‘I don’t think Manchester City actually want to sign Declan Rice, I think what’s going on is Arteta has picked up the phone to Pep [Guardiola] and said “listen, Arsenal are going to do the incremental bid approach, if you put a higher bid in, that will push my owner”.’

Pressed on why Arteta would go down this route, Aluko added: ‘For speed and to get the deal done.

Aluko believes Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola were in cahoots

‘West Ham obviously want a certain valuation and I don’t know why Arsenal are taking this incremental approach.

‘It says to me that Man City coming in later on is going to help Arsenal, because the fans are going to get on it now.

‘The fans are going to say “hold on, if you let Declan Rice go to Man City when he was our number one target, that says a lot about Arsenal”. I used to do it all the time and it used to work.’

According to reports on Wednesday, West Ham and Arsenal had finally reached an agreement on a transfer worth £105 million, and the captain of the Hammers was now scheduled for a physical at the Emirates Stadium.

Rice will surpass Jack Grealish, who Manchester City paid £100 million for, to become not only the most expensive British player ever and the record-holder for Arsenal’s record signing.

Aluko has congratulated Rice on his “big move” to Arsenal and claims that her “haters” who had sent her “racist, sexist, and misogynistic” insults for her prior views had since “gone missing.”

‘Interesting 24 hours in the transfer window,’ she wrote on Twitter. ‘Congratulations Declan Rice on a big move to Arsenal.

‘What a player, what a guy! Had the pleasure of meeting Declan “Jollof” Rice and happy to see he got the record transfer move he wanted. Big intent and ambition from Arsenal.

‘Safe to say I suspected Rice wasn’t going up the M6 to Manchester! I’ve had a lot of laughs on this today, it was very quiet from the pile on brigade – somehow a lot of haters went missing. Apologies are much quieter than disrespect.

‘Disagreement is part of the job. But disagreement should never be used by people to be sexist, racist, misogynistic to women in football.

‘It’s an absolute disgrace and I won’t ignore it for the benefit of a lot of men who project their own jealousy & insecurity spouting abuse.

‘Women in football are not going away. Get used to it. We know our stuff, we speak from a place of professional insight and experience.

‘Take it or leave it, agree, disagree but if you choose sexism, racism, misogyny to disagree, you ARE the problem and you’re exposing yourself.

‘If you spend your time attacking women in football, you are exposing the fact you can NEVER be at the same level. You’re entitled to opinion, don’t abuse it to be racist, sexist and misogynistic.’