WHZ View: John Barnes’ comments on Declan Rice will leave West Ham fans fuming
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has the right profile to be a Liverpool player, claims John Barnes.
The Liverpool legend has compared Rice to Jordan Henderson and has stated that he’s the kind of player that the Reds need.
Rice’s future is currently in huge jeopardy, having already turned down two contract offers at West Ham, and Barnes is further looking to add to the confusion by urging him to move to Anfield in the summer.
In an interview with Bonus Code Bets, he said, “There have been suggestions that Declan Rice is a target for Liverpool and he would be a good fit for them. Liverpool like central midfield players who work hard.
“Declan Rice isn’t going to come in and score lots of goals, he’s not going to be creative, he’s not a midfield player like David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne or Ilkay Gundogan, but Liverpool don’t need that.
“The kind of players Liverpool need are players like Rice or Yves Bissouma, hard-working midfield players who get the ball forward, make tackles, win the ball and keep it quite simple.
“He’s similar to Jordan Henderson in that way. So if he wants to come to Liverpool, he has the right profile for them.”
Unsettling him further
We all know what Barnes is doing here, and it’s fuming to see it happen. Rice is obviously in the middle of a huge transfer war and West Ham are holding firm in their stance that the player is not for sale.
However, news that he’s turned down two extensions could be perceived as an intention to leave, but it could also mean that he’s only looking for more money.
Being an ex-pro, Barnes knows this, but he’s seeming to take advantage of the situation in a bid to unsettle the player.
Had he been following the updates surrounding Rice, it’s clear that the Reds will not be able to match our valuation for the player.
Right now, we’re confident that the 22-year-old will stay and sign an extension, but in the future if someone is willing to break the world record for an English player then David Sullivan would most probably cash in on him.
In other West Ham news, ‘Leaves a bad taste’, ‘Mockery’ – West Ham Super Fans fume over major contract update
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