John Terry tells West Ham how they can keep Declan Rice this summer
West Ham could keep Declan Rice this summer by spending £100m and bringing in other players of his level, according to former England captain John Terry.
The Hammers vice-captain has been in sensational form and linked with a nine-figure move [Telegraph] to a Champions League club this summer as the next step in his career.
In an interview with Astro Supersport Terry, who is Rice’s idol, admitted that he would be an ‘incredible’ fit at Chelsea but believes West Ham have to make a statement to convince him to stay put.
“I’m going to get in trouble here for what I say,” he said.
“You know what, Dec obviously loves Chelsea – I think everyone knows that. I think the rejection he had from Chelsea has really helped his career actually.
“What he’s done at West Ham is pretty much incredible. We saw in the FA Cup [against Kidderminster] when he came on and scored and again grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. I think from Dec’s side of things, I think he’s given everything to West Ham.
“And for me, looking from the outside, unless West Ham go and make a big statement in the summer and go and spend £100million plus and say, ‘We want to keep Dec and we want to bring in top players like you,’ – then I think he’s got a decision to make.
“I think if West Ham go and spend huge amounts of money, bring in top players, then I think it’s difficult for him to walk away.”
When asked if Rice would be a good fit at Chelsea, Terry simply nodded his head and said: “Incredible.”
Statement
West Ham are in the driver’s seat when it comes to the future of Rice, but it’s hard to ignore that the player is desperate to be playing Champions League football.
That certainly gives clubs like Chelsea leverage when it comes to making a move this summer, but with three years remaining on his deal there is no need for the Hammers to sell on the cheap.
That means that David Moyes likely has another year at least to be able to convince him to stay, and a big summer transfer window could do exactly that.
The progress they’ve seen in the last 18 months or so in particular is excellent, but they must now step up another level by adding quality to their squad and bolstering their options.
That could help them to break into the Champions League themselves and then there would be no need to sell Rice at all, because they can offer what he wants.
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