Rice's Parting Gift Can Be European Football

There’s been a lot of speculation over the last year or so about Declan Rice moving on to pastures new, and those rumours have gathered pace in the last couple of weeks in the tabloids and on social media. £70m is the fee being touted. Is it enough? And if he does go, where does that leave West Ham and their midfield?

Where Could Declan End Up?
Chelsea are leading the way for the 21-year-old’s signature if the rumours are to be believed. He’s priced up at around 5/6 with a few bookies to be a Blues player by the end of the summer transfer window, which suggests it could happen. You can bet online on UK football at many great sports betting sites using your phone or laptop, whichever suits you best. But those odds of 5/6 might not last for too long if the rumours build! So don’t think about it too much.

There’s no smoke without fire is there?

Let’s also not forget that he was at Chelsea before he signed for West Ham! So he knows the place very well already. Not only that but his best friend is none other than Chelsea youngster Mason Mount. It seems like the script is already written.

Manchester United are another club who are rumoured to be sniffing around the young England international. But at £70m, is it a price that might put potential buyers off? Or is it a bargain? Nobody really knows how the market is going to change once football is back to normal, but a lot of pundits are expecting transfer fees to fall, which makes the £70m seem less likely. But if anyone can tempt Rice to move, it’s his best mate Mount.

One More Year
Declan Rice has a contract with West Ham until the end of the 2023-24 season, so there’s no need for Hammers fans to panic about losing him on the cheap. That’s not going to happen. What is slightly worrying, though, is the tabloids mentioning the need for the owners to recoup some of the money they will have lost during lockdown. That £70m then becomes a lot more attractive to Gold and Sullivan.

If West Ham can keep hold of Rice for one more season, it gives them a great chance of a solid push for European football next year. That would be great. Thanks very much Declan, you’ve got the club into Europe, you can now enjoy a dream move. Football works in strange ways sometimes, though, so nobody’s ever sure what might happen. Especially with agents and transfers.

If Rice chooses to stay, he would no doubt be worshipped by the fans for many years to come. Just look at Mark Noble as a prime example. But let’s be honest; Declan is a lot better than Nobes. You cannot begrudge him a move to a bigger club, but all West Ham fans will be hoping he gives them at least one more year to ply his trade.

Who Can Replace Rice in the Centre?
Mark Noble doesn’t have too much left in him in terms of playing 90mins week in, week out, so it’s likely David Moyes will need to find two central midfielders if Rice goes. Some of the potential transfer fee can be used to bring in a replacement, but what about Jack Wilshere? Rice has already said himself that Wilshere is ridiculous in training and possesses incredible ability. If the midfield maestro can fight off his demons and get back to full fitness, West Ham
might not need to dip into the market for a new midfielder. West Ham fans reading that last sentence will be shaking their head already. There’s no chance he’s ever going to be back fully fit for a prolonged period of time is there? What a shame.

Decision Time
Declan Rice is concentrating on his football at the moment, as all professional footballers should. But he may have already made his mind up regardless of what happens for the rest of this season. If the fixtures resume and West Ham go down, that’s the decision made for him anyway. Not to mention the cut price bargain Chelsea may end up with by effectively signing a Championship player.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. The Hammers are very much still a Premier League club at the moment. Declan Rice has some big decisions to make before the start of next season, but I expect his choice will also hinge on the ambition David Moyes and the owners show in the transfer market ahead of the next campaign. He won’t want another relegation dogfight. If he does leave, he won’t fall into the Jermain Defoe category that’s for sure. If he stays, let’s
hope we’re all going on a European tour in 2021!