Joe Cole says Arsenal and Chelsea transfer target Declan Rice is West Ham’s ‘poster boy’ who needs to put his future ‘to sleep’ in summer As he told ITV Sport (01/03/23 at 7:20pm).
The 24-year-old has one year left on his contract at West Ham and he will either leave when the transfer window reopens or sign on the dotted line.
Given that both Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Graham Potter’s Chelsea are interested in the player, it feels like he will be on the next level and headed for the exits.
Arsenal are the leaders in the Premier League and could be champions of England by the time summer arrives.
On the other hand, those players at Stamford Bridge who have spent the past two windows on a spending spree stand a good chance of missing out on a top-four finish.
So, if Rice were to leave the London Stadium, then he would certainly be in the Champions League squad, as Joe Cole spoke of his future.
“Every time I talk about Declan Rice, it’s about his future,” Kerr said. “West Ham are in the league. He’s captain of the club.
“I think for Declan, he’s going to want to put it all on the back burner and figure it out in the summer. He’s got a year left on his contract and at some point it’s going to have to be talked about.
“I don’t think it distracts him. As a footballer, when you’re on the pitch, that’s your comfort. That’s when you can do your thing and chill out.
“He was the poster boy at West Ham, so he just had to focus.”
Who should add rice?
Chelsea do have a plethora of players, and if Rice is to rejoin the club after leaving at a young age, few faces need to leave, especially in the middle of the park.
So, does the status quo at the west London club make Rice unhappy? Although he supported the club from a young age.
Arsenal could be the right direction for the player given how Mikel Arteta is building a young squad and how they can be champions at the negotiating table.
In other news, Tottenham could spoil Liverpool’s hopes of signing ‘world-class’ £35m ace
