Declan Rice exit from West Ham on the cards after yet another strong display – Garth Crooks
Garth Crooks has mooted the possibility of Declan Rice quitting West Ham after the midfielder shone yet again on Sunday in the 1-0 win at Everton.
Rice, 22, stood out for the Hammers as they moved up to sixth in the Premier League table courtesy of Angelo Ogbonna’s second-half winner at Goodison Park.
BBC Sport pundit Crooks was blown away by Rice’s performance in the middle of the park but believes it’s only a matter of time before the England international moves away from the London Stadium.
“If ever there was a player to take over the captaincy of West Ham from Mark Noble then Declan Rice was that player. He gets better with every game,” Crooks wrote on the BBC Sport website.
“He seems to cover more ground than anyone in his team and you can guarantee 100% effort every week. No doubt that’s precisely what David Moyes and England manager Gareth Southgate think of him. Rice showed all of those redeeming qualities against Everton.
“West Ham fans won’t like me for saying this but how long can the East London club hold onto him? This lad should be playing Champions League football. It’s only a matter of time.”
We know…
We’re not deluded. We’re not stupid. We know that Rice is a very special player and we know that he has the ability to be able to play for far more successful teams for West Ham.
Crooks’ assessment of Rice is a bit odd, mind.
The BBC Sport pundit tips Rice to take the captain’s armband off Mark Noble with the current club captain set to leave at the end of the season. However, he then says it’s only a matter of time before Rice leaves.
Does Crooks think Rice will stay for another season then? We can’t tell. It’s not very often that the former Tottenham player’s team of the week makes any sense.
Rice was rightly in the team of the week, to be fair. Ogbonna also rightly features as David Moyes managed to inspire his side to victory against his former club Everton.
It was a tight game but a really good win for the Irons, who can go from strength to strength after a disappointing defeat to Brentford before the international break.
Rice will be vital in that. Let’s hope any speculation doesn’t lead to a downturn in his performances.
In other West Ham news, Aaron Cresswell apologised to a young Everton fan after a pre-match incident at Goodison Park.
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