Ben Johnson comments on Declan Rice exit reports
Ben Johnson is hoping that Declan Rice ignores all the interest shown in him and commit to West Ham.
The England international has been one of the Hammers’ best players over the past few years and was pivotal in guiding the Three Lions to the Euro 2020 final.
Even before the tournament began, there was a growing interest in his services, but the race to secure his services has only heated up in the last few weeks with ExWHUEmployee reporting interest from four Premier League clubs.
Discussing reports linking him with an exit, Johnson told talkSPORT, “Of course we want to keep him, and hopefully we can build our team around him.
“It’s a pleasure to have him on our team, he’s such a humble guy.
“We’re just so proud of him and what he’s done, he’s inspired us and is pushing us to be at that top level.”
Have to keep him
The way Johnson talks about him tells you that there’s more to Rice than just his performances on the field.
He’s an inspiring and charismatic person behind the scenes and that is primarily why he’s held in such high regard by David Moyes and the entire dressing room.
He epitomises what it means to be a true professional and puts in the hard yards every day on the training pitch which has led to him being on the cusp of a world class midfielder for the Hammers.
It’s no surprise that there are big clubs circling around him, but the club hold the upper hand in the negotiations as he’s tied down to a long-term deal at the club.
Rice hasn’t, and we don’t expect him to, forced his way out of the club either. He’ll be back to pre-season training in a few weeks and get on with his job regardless of what happens about his future.
In other West Ham news, ExWHUEmployee explains why Issa Diop missed West Ham friendlies
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