Chelsea are approaching a crossroads regarding their options in central midfield. Whilst N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have both been outstanding servants the Blues must start planning for a future without them.
Both players are in their 30s so the club must have an eye on younger talent to replace them. Kante and Jorginho are also out of contract next summer and the Blues face a real dilemma as to whether to cash in on their ageing stars, or offer them new deals.
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has often been mooted as a player who could be Kante’s long-term replacement. The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the best young players in Europe over the last two seasons and, would offer the kind of longevity that Chelsea currently lack in the middle of the park.
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Rice is developing into a box-to-box midfielder after initially starting out as a centre-back before moving into a defensive midfield role. The England star scored four goals and notched four assists last season and is confident that his game will continue to develop further.
“I feel like I’ve taken another step in the right direction in my career but I’m still only 23 and trust me, I know myself, I’ve got so much more that I can let out of the bag," Rice told Football Daily (via the Mirror).
“I know that, my coaches tell me that. I think it just comes with time and as I get older, it will keep coming and coming but I feel like you’re only starting to see the start of me. I feel like I’m going to keep pushing and getting better.”
Rice is under contract at the London Stadium until the summer of 2024, however, West Ham do have an option to extend his deal by a further year. The Hammers have reportedly slapped a £150million price tag on his head.
However, Rice takes the rumours linking him with some of Europe’s biggest clubs in his stride, he added: “Playing well comes with speculation, I’ve had two or three top seasons with West Ham, the top clubs around the country are always going to be watching.
“It’s not just the same for me it’s the same for every player, I think it’s important not to get too carried away with all that. I think we’ve had a good season here with West Ham.
“There’s been big games we’ve had to play in so I feel like my focus has always been on that, I feel like if I think about other things I’ll get carried away and that wouldn’t be fair on the team or the manager.
“I can’t help speculation, even with the numbers that get spoken about, I can’t help that, all I can help is performing on the pitch and performing to the best I can.”
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