Ex Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice-West Ham United admission
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to sign Declan Rice from West Ham, who joined Arsenal this summer.
In an interview with the Athletic, the Norwegian revealed that Rice was one of the players he urged the Red Devils to sign.
He also admits that the 24-year-old would not have cost as much as he did this summer had the club listened to him.
He said, “We couldn’t buy the players I mentioned to the club. Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut. Declan Rice, who wouldn’t have cost what he did in the summer. We discussed Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed players ready for there and then.”
Win for West Ham
While Solskjaer may not be the most tactically sound, he knew how to keep a dressing room positive and had an eye for top talents.
He was at Old Trafford until 2021 and back then Rice was just bursting onto the scene as one of Europe’s brightest youngsters.
There’s a chance he could have recommended the Englishman in 2019 or 2020 and had the club listened to him, there’s a good chance the midfielder would leave for Old Trafford.
He did not have years of experience dominating in the Premier League to justify a record transfer fee and would’ve been sold for around half of what he eventually left for.
Manchester United’s ineptitude was what led to West Ham making a ton of money from the sale of their captain.
By the looks of it, with signing Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse they seem to have spent that money really well.
In other West Ham news, a Hammers star has the same conversation with a manager as James Maddison did before he joined Tottenham Hotspur.