Declan Rice

Written by Will Unwin, Simon Burnton and Michael Butler for The Guardian:

Declan Rice has had a superb first season at Arsenal after a £105m move from West Ham last summer - which made him the most expensive British footballer of all time - continuing a tour of top-flight London clubs having started in Chelsea’s youth system, after a cousin who was in their academy helped him get a trial. Rice made three senior international appearances for the Republic of Ireland, all in friendlies, before switching allegiances to England. “It’s fair to say I have spoken with him but I haven’t promised anything because I don’t think that’s right,” said Gareth Southgate in 2018 as Rice was making up his mind over his future, but it would have been hard for any promise to have been as positive as what has come to pass: Rice made his England debut the following year and his 50th appearance in March, captaining the side against Belgium. He has a huge collection of football shirts and trainers, and is developing a sense of personal style after a youth in which “mum always told me how to dress”. “I’m always looking for a pair of trousers that sit above my shoes well,” he said earlier this year. “Not too low, not too high. That’s a key thing for me, how a pair of trousers sit on shoes.”