The vultures are circling, looking at what they consider to be lesser teams to see what talent they can prise away. Once the season ends, the noise around West Ham's most talented players is likely to become unbearable as the lack of football to report on inevitably results in endless transfer speculation and rumours. Rather than lament the state of football journalism or wallow in grief at the potential loss of Rice or Bowen, let's see what clubs have done in the past to hold on to their most talented and in-demand players.
Challenge
While the Premier League title odds tell us Man City at 1/2 and Liverpool at 15/8 will win the league this season, based on performances, some West Ham fans will fancy the club to 'do a Leicester' next season. While the title might be a step too far, David Moyes demonstrated that he is capable of securing a Champion's League place with far fewer resources than other clubs. His fourth-place finish with Everton in 2005 represents one of the highlights of his career, although The Toffees didn't have a memorable run in Europe's elite club competition.
While West Ham remained in the conversation for top-four contention for much of the season, investment in the squad is required to ensure that achieving a Champion's League spot is a realistic goal for next season. It's difficult to provide examples of players that have resisted a move away due to their club showing ambition by signing better players. Generally, the player will talk about their love for the club and the fans and simply not mention that their decision was actually dependent on wanting to play alongside better players and challenge for honours. Yet, there's no doubt it happens and keeping Rice and Bowen might require West Ham to identify targets now and loosen the purse strings.
Captain fantastic
There have been a few legendary one-club players with Paolo Maldini (AC Milan) and Francesco Totti (Roma) and Matt le Tissier (Southampton) being good examples. Each of these great players endured difficult times with their respective clubs, but never abandoned their club to seek success elsewhere. Maldini was pursued by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but never really considered moving.
Totti rejected the chance to be a Galactico at Real Madrid and Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea were unable to entice Le Tissier away from the Saints. The fact that each of these players was captain of their respective clubs shouldn't be overlooked. Being made captain and the added responsibilities that come with the position can make it harder for a player to walk away. Moyes should be praised for giving Rice the armband in the absence of Mark Noble and his vocal assertion that being West Ham captain could result in Rice becoming England captain too.
Just say no
Ex-Hammer Carlos Tevez tried to initiate a transfer away from Man City during the 2011-12 season when he refused to play and was repeatedly fined by the club. In order to prevent a move away, an astronomical valuation of the player was quoted to any interested parties. Tevez was forced to return, apologise and played a key role in City's subsequent title-winning season. Tevez is an extreme example, but there have been plenty of instances in the past when clubs have simply placed a price tag on a player that can't be realistically met.
Clubs have the power to decide what a player is worth and while refusing to allow a player to leave might result in a player tantrum, in the end, it can be best for the club. Perhaps a better example is Harry Kane and his protracted but failed bid to join Man City. Spurs simply ignored City's interest and didn't once look to negotiate and possibly that should be the West Ham attitude this summer.
Rice still has two years left on his West Ham contract at the end of this season and there's an option to extend an additional 12 months. Bowen has three-and-a-half years left on his contract after being signed by Hull in January 2020. The media will tell us that if big clubs come calling these players will go and that's simply not the case, but action might be required to ensure they do stay.
