Arsenal had to spend a club-record £105million to land England midfielder Rice from London rivals West Ham.
The Gunners smashed their biggest-ever spend by over £32million as manager Mikel Arteta hopes Rice can prove a missing part of the jigsaw, with the aim to take Arsenal from runners-up to Premier League champions this season.
Rice, 24, left West Ham having lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in his final game as captain and – having established himself as a key player at the London Stadium – it will be interesting to see if he can continue to impress at the very top level.
Moussa Diaby – Aston Villa
Unai Emery turned Villa’s season around when he was appointed as Steven Gerrard’s replacement October.
Villa went from relegation candidates to European qualification under the Spaniard, who has now started to shape his squad for the fresh challenges.
Diaby will be a pivotal part of that process after the France winger signed from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported club-record fee of £51.9million – such intent to get their man means the 24-year-old will be under immediate pressure to deliver as Emery looks to build on his first year in charge.
Dominik Szoboszlai – Liverpool
We have completed the signing of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig, subject to a work permit
— Liverpool FC (@LFC)
Jurgen Klopp looked to overhaul his midfield after a disappointing season by Liverpool’s – and his own – high standards last season.
James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have all departed and Hungary international Szoboszlai is the big-money addition from RB Leipzig who will be expected to fill some of the void.
The 22-year-old cost a reported £60million and hit 20 goals in 91 games at Leipzig, including getting on the scoresheet in the 2023 DFB Pokal final victory.
Andre Onana – Manchester United
