West Ham United: Manchester City ‘near-perfect’ Declan Rice transfer verdict shared by Stan Collymore
Stan Collymore has suggested West Ham captain Declan Rice would take Manchester City to “perfection” if he does complete a move to The Etihad.
Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reported on 23 June that City were in advanced talks with the West Ham board over a move for the 24-year-old.
Writing in his latest column for the Sunday People, Collymore feels City could win the “quadruple” with Rice in their ranks.
‘If Declan Rice joins Manchester City, then we could be looking at them doing the Quadruple next season because he’ll take a near-perfect team even closer to perfection,” wrote Collymore (Sunday People, pg 62, 25 June).
“I know Arsenal fans will say: “But you said he wouldn’t make us better – so why would he make City better?”
“Well, having Rice playing with Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne is very different to having him play with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, even if they will get better,
“And if Pep Guardiola does end up getting Rice, then all bets are off.”
Toss of a coin
Rice’s future could now be decided at the toss of a coin.
The 24-year-old has made his desire to move to Arsenal very clear. However, when Manchester City come calling, it can often be hard to turn down. It’s hard to work out exactly what the West Ham captain is thinking, so, with that in mind, a transfer to The Etihad cannot be ruled out.
If Rice does move to Manchester, he will go on to be the best midfielder in the world. There’s absolutely no doubt his game would go to the next level under Pep Guardiola.
But, moving to Arsenal would allow the 24-year-old to keep his family in London, where he is currently very settled.
The sooner this saga reaches a conclusion the better for everyone concerned.
Rice has been a superb servant for a number of years, but the time is right for him to test himself at the top end of European football.
A huge transfer fee will likely arrive and that could open the door for the board to dramatically improve the overall make up of the squad.