Paul Ince has said that Declan Rice’s departure from West Ham United to Arsenal is a big loss for the club. Ince, who was also a top midfielder for his local club West Ham and went on to become a star for Man United, that Rice simply had to move to a bigger club to test himself at the highest level.
“It’s always a big loss when you lose your main man, your captain, and even more so at such a young age,” Ince said in an interview with Betway. “But I think it’s something he had to do.
“I see some similarities in myself being at West Ham and Manchester United came calling. You’ve got to want to try yourself at the next level. That’s not being disrespectful to West Ham. For me, United was the next level and when they come calling it’s hard to say no.
“Declan has done all he can do at West Ham. Obviously, it’s going to hurt him to leave, but he needs to go to the next level and see if he can perform. I believe he can.
“It’s going to leave a massive hole in the West Ham midfield but I’m sure David Moyes and the club would have planned for this because they knew that this was his last season.”
Ince’s comments are echoed by many West Ham fans, who are sad to see Rice leave the club. However, they also understand his decision to move to a bigger club. Rice is one of the best young midfielders in the world, and he will be a valuable asset to Arsenal.
It will be interesting to see how Rice performs at Arsenal. He will be expected to help the club challenge for trophies, and he will also be under pressure to live up to his price tag. However, if he can do that, he will be a major success at the Emirates Stadium.
Most fans seem certain that Declan Rice is coming to Arsenal to replace Thomas Partey, and, and according to Ince, his other ex-club, Man United, should be considering bringing him to Old Trafford to add another dimension to the Red Devil’s midfield. He said: “There’s also talk about Thomas Partey leaving Arsenal. You think about the first six months of the season, Partey was absolutely fantastic. Jorginho came in and, for some reason, he stopped getting games. That’s when Arsenal started losing and drawing games. I’d be looking at someone like him or Franck Kessie.”
You can understand why United could want Partey, but I am sure Mikel Arteta will be fighting to persuade him to stay, despite facing competition for his place from Declan Rice.
And the fact is: Why would Arteta be willing one of our main challengers for the title next season?
