WATCH: Arsenal's Declan Rice mocked by West Ham fans on London Stadium return
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was mocked by fans of hiw former club West Ham on his return to the London Stadium on Sunday
Declan Rice was cheekily mocked by West Ham fans on Sunday on his return to the London Stadium in the Premier League with Arsenal.
After being released by Chelsea as a youngster, Rice joined West Ham's youth academy and went on to make 245 appearances for the east London club, winning the Europa Conference League in his final season with the Hammers.
Rice left West Ham for Arsenal in the summer in a record £105 million deal and has gone on to become a popular player with the Gunners this term.
Returning to the London Stadium for the first time since his summer switch, Rice was mocked by the West Ham fans in the first half on Sunday.
When the midfielder went across to take a corner kick, the home supporters could not resist a dig at their former hero.
"You should've signed for a big club," the fans could be heard chanting. Rice took it all in good spirits, though, as he smiled back.
West Ham fans with a cheeky chant directed at Declan Rice on his return to London Stadium. 😅 pic.twitter.com/X3kER4hLT3February 11, 2024
And the Arsenal midfielder had the last laugh as the Gunners hit four goals in a one-sided first half at the London Stadium.
William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel and Leandro Trossard were all on target for Mikel Arteta's side as the visitors went in 4-0 up at the break.
Saka added another in the second half to make it 5-0 and Rice then got on the scoresheet himself as Arsenal went six ahead with 25 minutes still to play.
More Arsenal stories
Arsenal have announced a groundbreaking new deal – which could help fund huge summer spending
Arsenal reportedly plot stunning swoop for Manchester United star
Gunners legend Ian Wright on the Gunners moment that 'broke' him - ‘Like ripping your heart out’
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get the FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Ben Hayward is the Weekend Editor of FourFourTwo. A European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
Most Popular
By Ben Hayward
By Mark White
By Ryan Dabbs
By James Andrew