West Ham United transfer news: Sky Sports pundit mocks Arsenal as Declan Rice is told to sign for Manchester City
David James has told Sky Sports that Declan Rice should leave West Ham for Manchester City rather than Arsenal, because one has won the treble and the other has won nothing.
The Gunners have already had two bids rejected for their top target, the Irons captain, but with Ilkay Gundogan heading to Barcelona [BBC Sport] and further exits possibly on the cards to Saudi Arabia Pep Guardiola’s side are expected to enter the race imminently.
The 24-year-old Hammers star has been widely tipped to want the Emirates move above all but James, who spent two and a half years at City after the same period as a West Ham player, believes it is an obvious choice for Rice to follow in his footsteps.
Speaking to Sky Sports, as per Football Daily on Twitter, the ex-England keeper said: “[Fans] would rather that he went abroad, not that he’s listening, because then he won’t be in a team that might want to beat West Ham and that would be something I think a lot of West Ham fans wouldn’t like.
“Declan Rice is top draw and Man City are the best team in Europe, probably going to be the best team in the world in a few months after they win the World Club Championship and if Declan Rice is part of that it’s because he deserves to be, all the best to him if it happens.”
Asked about the Arsenal option he said: “Why would he want to play for Arsenal? One team’s the European, FA Cup, and Premier League champions, and the other is none.”
Forceful
James, 52, certainly looked like he was playing up to his former allegiances in Manchester to wind up Arsenal, but City are a concern for any club in a transfer race currently.
If Mikel Arteta’s side can’t come up with an offer that exceeds £100million, and possibly that runs as high as £120million, it won’t matter as it doesn’t look like West Ham are in the mood to be accomodating.
If City are the only side who table a bid that is deemed acceptable to the Irons hierarchy then the chances are Rice will end up there.
He will get the Champions League football he wants, and most likely win plenty more trophies to go with his Europa Conference League win.
But all things being equal his apparent preference is to stay in London, so the ball really is in Arsenal’s court to come up with the right money.
James is right that Hammers fans would have preferred the captain to leave for another league, but with Bayern Munich apparently the only side who were ready to make a genuine push, and already out of the race after going head to head with the Gunners early that appears to be off the table, so it is expected to be a strictly Premier League affair from here on.