Roshane Thomas: West Ham fans will not be in uproar if Declan Rice leaves
West Ham fans will not be agitated with Declan Rice should he leave next summer, claims Roshane Thomas.
The 22-year-old was linked with a move to the top-four Premier League sides over the last few months but ended up staying put at the London Stadium.
He had an impressive summer with England at the EUROs and has carried on from where he left off domestically, with a good individual start to the new Premier League season.
Discussing the possibility of him leaving the club next summer and the reaction of the supporters, The Athletic’s Thomas said, “If Rice was to leave, his departure would be one of the few occasions where the fans would not be in uproar about the exit of a key player.
“Dimitri Payet and Marko Arnautovic both made acrimonious departures. But if Rice were to go too, supporters would highlight his professionalism.”
Spot on
Rice is a player who’s served the Hammers and David Moyes with dignity and there can be no complaints about his work ethic.
Each time he steps onto the pitch, he leaves his all on the pitch and puts in a minimum of 7/10.
At 22, he’s still got potential to get better and some way may even say he’s world class, which is terrifying thinking of just how good he can get.
If West Ham do not deliver European football two seasons in a row, he may feel that he’s taken the club as far as he could and he might have aspirations to compete for a Champions League club that’s challenging for league titles every season.
The England international has not once downed tools and refused to do what the manager wants him to, even if he has aspirations of leaving in the future.
We would like Rice to stay, but realistically, the club are fighting a losing battle and the best thing to do will be to cash in on him next summer.
In other West Ham news, two changes are predicted for the Everton game, including a first league start this season for a player.
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