Ian McGarry has been discussing West Ham midfielder Declan Rice during a recent episode of The Transfer Window podcast.
The 21-year-old started his career with Chelsea but made his breakthrough to first-team football representing their London rivals on the east side of the capital. However, it appears current Blues boss Frank Lampard has his eyes on Rice as a potential transfer target.
Rice has appeared 109 times for the Hammers, scoring three goals and providing four assists to date (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk), establishing himself as an England international in the process. The defensive midfielder currently shares a good relationship with the club’s supporters, who voted him as their ‘Hammer of the Year’ back in July, but according to McGarry, Chelsea have their sights firmly set on taking him to west London sooner rather than later. Here is what he had to say:
“I do believe, and it is my information that that is an ongoing project for Chelsea. There certainly is a determination that Rice can be recruited. I think his performances towards the end of the season with West Ham and even in what was a substandard result for England against Iceland in the Nations League last weekend, Rice, I thought was one of the better performers playing in essentially [the] defensive midfield role but was certainly the catalyst for some of the best moves regarding his passing ability. That’s what Lampard has identified as crucial to his plans for next season.”
Are you concerned West Ham may lose Declan Rice to Chelsea?
No
Yes
TIF Thoughts…
According to Transfermarkt.co.uk, the player’s current value stands at £44.55m, which may suggest that if West Ham United were to sell the player, they would be looking for a significant transfer fee. His average performance rating in the English top flight last season was an impressive 7.01/10 according to WhoScored.com, so you can understand why there appears to be some serious interest in the player.
With the Irons having struggled last season, you can also understand why the lure of Champions League football with Chelsea may turn the player’s head if their interest is to progress.