Arsenal have all but signed two outstanding players in the form of Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, but with the North London giants yet to officially complete these deals, frustration and concern have begun festering among certain sections of the fan base.
It has been over a week since the Gunners reached a complete agreement with West Ham for Rice, who was their no.1 target for the summer transfer window, worth $133.3M. Arteta's men entered this period with the goal of strengthening their midfield and finally brokered a deal for the English superstar after tough negotiations with the Hammers.
A day later, last season's Premier League runners-up wrapped up formalities with Ajax for Timber for just over $50M. However, the English giants are set to begin their pre-season and neither of the two have been announced yet.
A recent report from Sky Sports claimed West Ham are unhappy with Arsenal over the speed, or lack thereof, at which the Gunners are moving. Furthermore, the Athletic reports that Liverpool duo Jordan Henderson and Fabinho could head off to Saudi Arabia this summer, thus leading to fears of a late hijack.
West Ham are becoming increasingly frustrated about the delay with the deal to sell Declan Rice to Arsenal pic.twitter.com/65T8yu8q3e
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 12, 2023
However, the likes of David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano have already reiterated that both deals are as good as done and that it is simply a matter of when it will be announced. But when will Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber be officially unveiled as Arsenal players?
| @FabrizioRomano: "I said 'Here We Go' for Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber and I don't change my position. I saw some rumors again today, but guys, I'm told that it is just a matter of an announcement. This remains very clear. Arsenal have everything ready for those two deals.…
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) July 12, 2023
According to Sky Sports, Arsenal plan on unveiling both men before jetting off for their pre-season tour of the USA. The club wishes to have the defender and midfielder integrated into the squad and could make the much-awaited formal announcements by Sunday.
The Gunners' first game in the States will be the MLS All-Star game. As of now, Kai Havertz is the only summer signing and the German should make his debut on Thursday in the friendly against Nurnberg. Declan and Jurrien, on the other hand, could don the iconic red and white jersey in the highly-anticipated MLS All-Star showdown.
