Football Daily | Arsenal or Manchester City: who is it going to be for for Declan Rice?

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The transfer window has served up a right old tug o’war. Arsenal or Manchester City? Mikel Arteta’s brave young Gunners or Pep Guardiola’s masters of the universe? This always seemed likely on the Prague night that Declan Rice, in tears, held aloft Tin Pot having inspired the Hammers to victory as captain, leader, legend, cashable asset. Deja vu for Arsenal, then? Just when a prize is within their fingers, in sail City to pluck it away? The word is that Dec previously had his heart set on being a Gunner. Not that the three-cap Republic O’Ireland/43-cap England international is given to changing his mind. Last season, a £100m asking price was thrown liberally around at the Hammerdome to just about anyone who asked, co-owner David Sullivan admitting in the aftermath of Tin Pot glory that “[Dec] set his heart on going”.

Reading yesterday’s Football Daily, I clicked on the Mark Lawrenson link to read through that 2011 version of Small Talk. Anyway, I read his interview and had completely forgotten that he once managed Oxford United. I recall very well the day that he resigned from this position – he was being hounded by the press for soundbites as he walked along a busy street, and had quite clearly had enough. He then promptly decided to avoid them by entering a large glass door into a building – only to find out that it was locked! He had to about-turn and face the music again. It was a comedy classic moment that I have remembered for so long. Surely a reader can dig up a link to this event (I tried but failed)?” – Marc Meldrum.

Re: Rod de Lisle and valuable shirts (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). We were holidaying in the Republic O’Ireland in 2002, the year of Roy Keane’s row with Mick McCarthy. Passing a sports shop in Clifden, Co Galway, I noticed a Roy Keane-named shirt in the shop window; there was a hastily scrawled sign underneath, bearing the legend: ‘Collector’s item’. I had a smile and walked on, leaving the shirt where it was. I’m not smiling now” – James Treacy.

I am absolutely certain that there will be hundreds of other pedants pointing out that England U-21s’ game against Germany is the third game in the group stage and not the quarter-final (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). Having already won the group, their quarter-final will be on Sunday at 5pm BST against opposition as yet unknown” – John Delucchi (and 1,056 others).

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