David Moyes could soon face an unenviable task of weighing up how West Ham United can live without Declan Rice after the England midfielder admitted he wishes to win trophies.
What’s the word?
While speaking with Sky Sports, Rice has opened up on his ambitions to enjoy a trophy-laden career so that he can look back on his playing days in years to come and reminisce about the glory he achieved for both club and country.
Rice was heavily linked with a move to Premier League title-contenders Chelsea this summer, with boss Frank Lampard said to be a big admirer of the 21-year-old who has been an integral aspect of Moyes’ squad at the London Stadium.
The Stamford Bridge natives were opposed to matching West Ham’s £80million valuation at the time, but have remained attentive to the idea of a future pursuit with Lampard confident Rice’s versatility and pedigree will be of great benefit should they manage to offload two high-earning outcasts.
Going by Rice’s latest comments, another approach from Chelsea – who sit third in the table and two points shy of leaders Tottenham – could prove difficult for Moyes to reject, as well, as the Blues will be able to offer the midfielder what the Hammers cannot.
“As a footballer, you only get one career and it goes by very quick,” Rice said. “You want to be successful for club and country. I think it’s an important thing to win trophies. There’s talk of Harry Kane at Spurs and what he should be doing, obviously he can do whatever he wants.
“He’s going to win trophies; we all know that. I think that’s something I want to aim for as well. I’m only 21 but to get those highs of your career you need to win stuff and that’s what I want to do.”
Moyes’ unenviable task
Amid rumours of Chelsea’s interest this summer, Adrian Durham raised the question on talkSPORT of whether or not West Ham can cope without Rice in the holding midfield role. And going by the England international’s remarks to Sky Sports, Moyes may soon face the unenviable task of answering that question.
“Declan Rice is a good player – I do like him. Maybe some people think he’s better than what he actually is, but I do like him,” Durham said.
“I do think he’s an England standard player and he is one of West Ham’s better players – you could argue that he’s their best player. But is he a match-winner on his own? Can they do without him? And I think the answer to that is yes.”
Moyes has struggled to live without Rice since his return to the London Stadium, with the 13-cap ace starting all 28 of West Ham’s Premier League fixtures since the Scot succeeded Manuel Pellegrini at the helm.
The only way Moyes may be able to ensure that run continues for the long-term would be by turning West Ham into contenders for silverware, something the east London outfit have not been in years with their last FA Cup Final coming in the 2005/06 season, last winning an EFL Cup Semi-Final in 1980/81, and never winning a top-flight title.
West Ham’s last piece of major silverware came in the 1979/80 FA Cup, too, highlighting the Hammers’ wait for honours to arrive back on home soil and the mammoth scale of the task Moyes has to overcome.
Moyes is, at least, enjoying a strong start to the current campaign with West Ham sitting eighth in the Premier League standings and within three-points of fifth-placed Southampton, having won four of nine fixtures and boasting the division’s second-best defensive record.
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