Rio Ferdinand: Declan Rice won’t publicly admit he wants West Ham exit
Rio Ferdinand believes Declan Rice will not publicly admit he wants to leave West Ham amid reports constantly linking him with the bigwigs.
The England international midfielder, 22, is a wanted man in the Premier League and abroad, and the former Hammers centre-back has claimed on his YouTube account that Rice would prefer if one of his suitors table a bid the club cannot reject as opposed to having to submit a transfer request.
The Irons academy graduate wants to play regular Champions League football, and while David Moyes’ side are showing that they can match his ambitions, it remains to be seen whether they can hold on to him beyond next summer.
The pundit said on Rio Ferdinand Presents Five (at 25:40): “Declan Rice man. He’s going from level to level. He’s just bringing different elements to his game. He’s not happy just standing still. He was brilliant in the Euros. He’s always talking about he wants to do more, he wants to play more with his left foot. He drives a bit more.
“You can now that he changes the pace of the game. He’s a great holder, but he can turn into an 8 and get up and set things up for the attacking player. The ceiling on him, I don’t know where it is.”
He was asked by the host: “If Chelsea come knocking now, he’s not going, is he?”
Ferdinand replied: “I don’t want to get into this because the West Ham fans will get to me in the comments. When you talk about top players, when the top clubs come to you, they want to play in the top competitions.
“West Ham at the moment, unless they finish in the top-four, they can’t offer him Champions League football.
“It’s natural for any human being to want that and have aspirations to go to that level. It’s just a matter of when he wants to go. It was the same for me. I wanted to do things at West Ham, they weren’t happening. Man Utd came, West Ham accepted a bid. I didn’t put in a transfer request, and that is the little area and element I’m sure Declan will want it to go the way it went for me – where he wouldn’t have to put in a transfer request.
“He’d probably prefer it if someone bids and the club says ‘we can’t turn that away, you’ve got to go now’. Then he’d go, “you know what, actually that’s the best-case scenario for me”, I’m sure he’d say that. He ain’t gonna (going to) say that on-air, but I think that’s the best way for a player. I know he loves West Ham.”
Tough one
Rice is valued at more than £100million by the London Stadium outfit, and suitors will need to part with significantly more to have a chance of luring him away from the club.
However, nothing is assured yet as a lot can change and happen between now and next summer.
Should Moyes lead his team to Europe’s elite competition and finish with a silverware this season, the midfielder will most likely want to remain with the club.
New co-owner Daniel Kretinsky is ready to make investments to the squad going forward, and that would be a huge boost to their chances of holding on to Rice.
The Hammers want to become regular top-four challengers, but they need to prove to their in-demand ace that they have the ambition to make that come true.
The fans would love to hold on to Rice, and while he definitely loves the club, an exit cannot be ruled out if he feels it is best for his career.
The bigwigs will have to show that they really want him by offering a huge fee and meeting the club’s demands, and until that happens, he will most likely remain with the team.
In other West Ham news, an amazing attacker is making personal arrangements for Hammers switch in January.
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