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Pundit expects West Ham United to 'say bye-bye' to Declan Rice next summer
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Declan Rice will leave West Ham United in the summer of 2023 if he has a good World Cup with England, according to Frank McAvennie.
The England midfielder has been linked with a transfer away for several years, but reports suggest that Chelsea and Liverpool are both ramping up their efforts to bring the 23-year-old in the next summer transfer window.
So far Rice has had his focus solely on the Premier League and Europa Conference League with West Ham, but McAvennie admitted that he believes the club will have “say bye-bye” to Rice in the summer despite his wishes to get another season out of him if he can.
“I don’t want anyone to leave West Ham, but I think he’s going to go,” he told West Ham Zone.
“It’s a shame. I hope we get another year out of him or something but I don’t think we will.
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“If he has a good World Cup then at the end of the season I think we’ve got to say bye-bye.”
Inevitable
It’s been a long time coming but it does seem like the window to Rice staying at the London Stadium beyond this current season is slamming shut.
Rice has been an incredible servant to the club and is one of the best players we’ve had in recent memory, and that level of talent deserves to be playing at the very highest level and competing for trophies.
Unfortunately we’re not able to provide that right now, and with two years remaining on his contract by the time the summer window rolls around it’s likely to be our final chance to get his true worth back.
Leaving it any longer will likely see him unhappy and his performances diminish, while we lose value on one of the best academy products we’ve had in a long time.
Unless there is a huge change of fortunes in the second half of the season in 2023, fans should begin their goodbyes to a club legend.