Declan Rice fires dig at Chelsea as Arsenal reach Champions League final | OneFootball

Gunners star was released by Blues at a young age

Declan Rice lamented the fact Chelsea ‘never gave him a chance’ after Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid to secure their place in the Champions League final.

They will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the final, with those two teams due to face off on Wednesday night.

Rice has enjoyed a stellar campaign as Arsenal close in on a rare double, and was duly named man of the match after pulling the strings throughout Tuesday evening.

The England mainstay started his career in Chelsea’s famed Cobham academy, but was released at 14 and joined West Ham, where he won the Conference League before moving to Arsenal in a £100m transfer.

Speaking after sinking Atletico, Rice told Prime Video that he owed his career success to West Ham rather than Chelsea.

Man of the match: Declan Rice

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“That club gave me everything, without West Ham there’s no me,” he said.

“I honestly believe that. They gave me a chance when Chelsea didn’t.

“A lot of people there really pushed me on so it’s not nice to see the position they’re in.”

Arsenal visit West Ham this weekend in a match which will have implications for both the title race and the relegation fight - a match which some pundits have billed as decisive.

Rice is taking an unsentimental approach to the match, though: “It’s football and I’ve got a job to do on Sunday.

“We’re trying to win a Premier League title, we want to win every game and I’m sure they will want to as well so let the best team win.”