Journalist Jacque Talbot believes West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice will leave eventually the club without signing a new contract.
It had been reported earlier this year that the Hammers had indeed offered Rice a new contract that was said to be a bumper deal tying him down for several years and handing him a massive increase in wages.
However, the midfielder rejected that proposal and may well have made a great decision, as West Ham are currently languishing in the bottom three – and that is not where someone of Rice’s calibre will likely be happy with – particularly given the reported interest in him from Chelsea.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “I know Chelsea are after Declan Rice, and I think Declan Rice will leave. Between me and you, I think it might have been during the season, West Ham offered him a killer contract to Declan Rice to make him their most expensive player; he’s turned it down.
Will Declan Rice leave next summer?
Yes!
No!
“I don’t know how long he’s got left, but let’s see how it goes with Declan Rice, I think he’s going to leave, though, because you look at West Ham this season.”
TIF Thoughts on Rice’s future…
We believe it is no surprise that Rice wasn’t keen on signing a long-term contract with West Ham given that he will surely have aspirations to win silverware and play in the Champions League considering the level he’s already at during such an early point in his career.
With clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United said to hold an interest in the midfielder – clubs that are more likely to offer him success at the moment compared to West Ham – it’s also unsurprising Talbot believes he would be keen to leave the London Stadium.
Rice is once again leading the way for the Hammers amid their poor start to the season, with Rice top when it comes to tackles, passes into the final third, progressive passes, as well as progressive distance racked up when dribbling with the ball (FBref), which may well suggest that he would be more suited to a team of a higher standard.
Not exactly saying something we don’t know already, is it? The question in the summer will be who gets closest to a £100m bid. Really hope it isn’t Chelsea or Man Utd, though suspect they’re the two clubs most likely to stump up that kind of cash. Man City appear to be covered – though Phillips’ regular injuries could see them rethink – and Liverpool prefer to tap players up in order to reduce their price, so are unlikely to be in. All seems very depressing in any case, wherever Declan goes…