Declan Rice looks set to be involved in the transfer saga of the summer in the coming months, with the midfielder looking likely to make a switch. The West Ham captain is approaching the final 12 months of his contract at the London Stadium, setting up the potential for a move.
An extension of his contract with the Hammers seems unlikely, meaning David Moyes may look to move him on to avoid losing Rice on a free. football.london understands that Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in a transfer for the England international ahead of the summer, with the Gunners understood to see him as a key target this summer after a failed move to Brighton's Moises Caicedo in January.
One criticism of the central figure has been his lack of goal scoring though, with Roy Keane and Graeme Souness both making key points on it. Rice hit back in the press conference before England's clash with Italy, saying: "It’s harsh, I think it’s harsh because Souness doesn’t watch West Ham every week. There’s loads of West Ham fans, 60,000 go every week, and see what I do. So I think to say I’m only good at one of three is harsh.
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“Roy … has said some glowing things about me in the past and sometimes said some things that I can improve on as well. It’s one of those where you take it with a pinch of salt and try not to let it affect you that much.”
While there may be reservations over Rice's ability to find the back of the net, the former Chelsea youth product managed to prove both pundits wrong. Starring for the Three Lions against the Azzurri, he managed to latch onto a loose ball in the box to smash home the opener in the game.
It showed that he can have an instinct in front of goal, even if his priorities in his usual role aren't focused on scoring and rather the all-round aspect of the game.
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