Declan Rice reveals what Mark Noble and teammates said to him following his West Ham United exit
Declan Rice has revealed what Mark Noble and his other former teammates said to him after he told them he was leaving West Ham United this summer.
The 24-year-old who was a product of the Hammers’ youth academy joined Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in a deal worth a reported £105million this summer, having captained the Irons to the Europa Conference League last season having taken the armband following Noble’s retirement.
Rice’s move drew some criticism from supporters as he joined a London rival, but the midfielder has said that he remains incredibly close with a number of his former teammates and has explained how they reacted when they heard the news of his departure.
Speaking to Four Four Two (2 October) he said: “I talked to Nobes, too: it was a hard one for him because he’s Mr West Ham, but he was buzzing for me. He was so happy that I could push myself and compete in the Champions League this year. He said, ‘It’s nothing more than you deserve’.
“Some of the players messaged me as well – I had plenty of replies in the group chat we shared together, I was taken aback. They’re all such close friends of mine and I speak to them regularly.
“I texted the manager ahead of the first game this season. I want to keep a positive relationship with him because he was so good to me, and the supporters were, too – they’re special. I know it’s hard when you see a player move on to another club, but I’m sure they understand.”
Gets it
It is abundantly clear that Rice has plenty of love for West Ham still, despite moving on this summer and it is obvious that he will always love the club even if he doesn’t currently wear their shirt week in and week out. While some may criticize his exit, he handled it well behind the scenes.
Many players wouldn’t have thought to ring their manager and explain their decision or even their former club captain to talk through their thinking, but Rice values the connections he made in claret and blue with both Moyes and Noble.
The sad truth is that when you get a player of Rice’s quality on your books, they’re always going to want to be playing at the highest level possible and when a Champions League club comes calling, it is incredibly difficult for a player to say no.
When he faces the Hammers this season, he deserves an excellent reception from the Irons given what he achieved at the London Stadium, but he’s bound to be on the receiving end of a few big tackles from the teammates he has remained so close to following his exit.
In other West Ham news, Chicharito has heaped praise on Edson Alvarez following his move to join the Irons