Ray Parlour drops Declan Rice to Arsenal verdict amid West Ham United exit talk
Ray Parlour believes Declan Rice would enjoy playing with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabrial Martinelli if he did make the switch from West Ham to Arsenal this summer.
The Guardian reported on 12 June that West Ham and the Gunners were close to agreeing a deal for the 24-year-old, which would be in excess of £100million.
Talking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Parlour believes it’s the right move for the England international.
“I think the history as you mentioned. I mean the players they’ve had in their history and the ones that have played for Arsenal: Dennis Bergkamp, Henry, Tony Adams and Patrick Viera – top, top players,” Parlour told talkSPORT Breakfast (13 June).
“A lot of it is down to him being happy where he lives. His family are happy there and whatever. That gives them another opportunity.
“And I think it’s a club – we’ve mentioned before, it’s the youngest squad in the Premier League – and they did try and push Manchester City.
“The younger players are going to get better. Declan Rice might be looking at Saka, Martinelli, Saliba and Ødegaard. Rice might look at that and want to be part of that going forward.
“It gives you a much better chance if you’ve got better players.”
Crunch time
It really is crunch time when it comes to Rice’s future at the London Stadium. Arsenal have been long-time admirers of the 24-year-old and a move does feel close.
With Rice only having two years left on his deal, it would be foolish for the Hammers not to sell their talisman. That sort of money can be reinvested to make the squad far more balanced. More potency is required up front, creativity in midfield and a replacement for Rice.
It’s absolutely imperative that the board get their recruitment right in the summer. Last summer’s buys eventually came good, but it took far too long for the likes of Lucas Paqueta to get to grips with English football. Potentially looking for value is the route to go down.
The likes of Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma were poached from the Championship – that could well be another route for the board to go down in the coming months.