West Ham United insider @ExWHUemployee has made a worrying transfer claim regarding English midfielder Declan Rice.
Recently, it emerged that the 21-year-old middleman has made the big decision to make his dad his agent (per The Athletic).
However, it is claimed that it is ‘premature’ to assume that his ‘die-hard Chelsea supporting’ dad will have any impact on the links between Rice and the Blues (via The Sun).
The Englishman was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the recent summer transfer window.
In the latest episode of The West Ham Way Podcast, @ExWHUemployee discussed Rice’s future and made a worrying claim regarding the midfielder. (56:55)
He said: “The only time this [Rice’s dad being his agent] is going to be a real issue is if Chelsea actually meet our expectation, which is about £80m, I would say, and we accept it.
“Then, I think there’s going to be a dilemma for Declan and I think possibly then, we might have to worry.
“At this point, they haven’t done that and they don’t look like they’re going to do it. So, he will not force a transfer, he will not put a transfer request in.
“So, we have to just take it that he’ll be at West Ham for the time being but I don’t know how long he will be.”
TIF Thoughts on @ExWHUemployee’s Declan Rice transfer claim…
As can be seen in what the in-the-know podcaster had to say, while Chelsea do not look as though they will offer what the Hammers want, @ExWHUemployee does not know how much longer he will be at the club.
Do you think Declan Rice will still be a West Ham player at the beginning of next season?
No, he will have left
Yes, he's loyal to us
Certainly, if the Hammers were to lose the Englishman, David Moyes would be going without a key player as he has been one of their best performers so far this season.
Over his 14 appearances in the Premier League, Rice has been the Hammers’ joint-fourth-best performer with a solid 6.91/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
So, hopefully, for West Ham, he remains at the London Stadium for as long as they can keep hold of him.