Declan Rice’s contract at West Ham expires next year, so there’s a good chance he’ll be on the move this summer. So far, the race for his services is between Chelsea and Arsenal. Chelsea’s interest stems from the fact that they have long admired him and are the one team that has an appetite for spending big in the transfer market.
As for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta is thought to have identified the 24-year-old as his top summer target. Blues fans may be dreaming of a Rice-Fernandez midfield, but that, as per journalist Paul Brown, may not come true as he believes Chelsea would struggle to sign Rice, hence giving Arsenal a free run for the Hammer.
Brown told Give Me Sport: “Chelsea spent so much money in the last two transfer windows that I don’t think they would have the capacity, shall we say, to sign someone like Declan Rice without a huge fire sale of players simply because they might be in trouble with cost control rules in the Premier League. So, it’s possible that Arsenal get a clear run on Rice this summer, which would be incredible.”
Arsenal’s midfield has been effective this season, but with Rice, it could reach unexpected heights. Aside from Paul Brown’s revelation, Arsenal’s pursuit of Rice appears to be boosted, with indications that he does not trust David Moyes’ tactics.
Rice showed his distrust in Moyes’ tactics in West Ham’s 2-0 loss to Spurs, saying (via the Sun), “When you play with five at the back and the three, like we set up today, maybe our strikers felt a bit isolated when we got the ball up to them—they didn’t really have enough around them, not enough support.” If Rice wants a fresh start, Arsenal could be his club, and like Jorginho, Arteta’s tactics could blow him away.
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I don’t understand the hype around Declan Rice, I would prefer Savic, Onana and Dennis Zakaria,
Rice doesn’t split defences, doesn’t win games in crucial moments, he’s just an average player been hyped.
Completely agree. I’d rather have zubimendi over rice. There’s no way on earth that rice is worth a British record fee. I’m hoping he is a smoke screen.
A squad OBVIOUSLY needs to have quality in depth. We will never be able to succeed as a club without that. But I don’t think we should just jump on one particular player and put all our eggs in one basket. There are many players. Some of which are more affordable, that will still easily and competently perform the same task.
The fact is that we are going after rice, but we do still have Partey. We need someone to share the task of winning trophies and being successful. It is a team sport
To suggest that Rice is “an average player” is, with respect, an assertion which flies in the face of virtually every professional with a knowledge and appreciation of the game and a large majority of football fans.Rice is one of the main reasons why West Ham are still in the Premier League and while the 3 alternatives you mentioned are very good players , only Savic can be regarded as being creative .Rice is a dedicated DM something we have lacked for some time.Partey is currently playing very well in that role but strength in depth is essential for any side with aspirations of winning the Premier League.
I’m sorry to say but I think rice would be a waiste of say £100 million if we were to even get him that is, as I’m sick being linked to these big players and it’s all just hype to say we were in for the player, truthful it all comes
down to money again ,and when that’s in involved Stan kroenke seems to be all mouth and no play, even though Arsenal has spent the most in the league over the last 3 years coming to £ 278 million , but realistically I can’t see rice coming here unless it’s to play against us, another thing were needing a striker badly the now seeing Eddie doesn’t know where the net is , where we bought marquinos for £ 7.5 million and he’s doing great on loan and also balogun out on loan in France ,cmon get them back, and if kroenke was going to spend a £100 + million try get Bellingham even by losing some of the weaker players , holding , Elneny, Eddie Nkethia , Tierney I could name more but don’t want to ,dembelle from Barcelona will be free soon and Barca can’t afford to keep these highly rated players that contracts that are running down, hazard as well from Madrid…
Hazard?!
Stan Kroenke (AKA silent Stan) “all mouth”?!
Tierney “weaker player”?!
I want balogan to come back into the squad. But you must see that it’s more important that he gets good development from playing week in week out in another league?
Stan has definitely invested. Surely this can’t be argued now. However the people that he invested in didn’t help him. That has changed now.
Tierney is not, and never has he been, a weaker player. He is simply a player that doesn’t fit into artetas PRIMARY tactical style. But the issue is that the way Tierney plays would make a PERFECT plan B if we can’t penetrate opposition. Instead of cutting in, we could overlap.
Also, HAZARD?!?! A lazy player is honestly seen as a step up?!
While you are of course entitled to your views I am intrigued to learn that you consider Tierney to be one of our weaker players when at least 2 sides in the top six in the Premier League are known to be genuinely interested in recruiting him.Perhaps you could enlighten us how you come to such a conclusion?
What are my comments waiting approval when other people are posting afterwards?
EVERYONE has to be moderated if they have never commented before. Don’t feel like a victim or you won’t last long on here ñpñ
Some rather silly fans on this thread actually write that RICE is no more than an average player. I suspect that English is not their first language, as in no possible way can any person who uses English correctly, TRULY BELIEVE that Rice is an average player.
It is very widely accepted by ALL who are actually in the game, that RICE IS AN OUTSTANDING TALENT AND WOULD ENHANCE ANY SIDE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO LAND HIM.