Declan Rice and Pablo Fornals react to major West Ham exit announcements
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has reacted to confirmation of the departure of a number of players from his former club West Ham.
This has been a dismal season for the Hammers, who currently sit 17th in the Premier League, having struggled under the management of both Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.
It is therefore set to be a period of change at the London Stadium this summer, with Football Inisder reporting that at least ten senior players will leave West Ham at the end of this season.
Now, that exodus from the Hammers is already starting to begin following the latest raft of announcements from the club.
Danny Ings, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Lukas Fabianski on their way
On Friday (9 May), it was announced that four players will all leave West Ham when their contracts expire once the season concludes.
Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, striker Danny Ings and the full-back duo of Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal are all due to depart the London Stadium.
Cresswell, Fabianski and Coufal have all in particular been long-serving and popular players for the Hammers, with all four part of the squad who won the UEFA Conference League in 2023.
| West Ham last five games | Result |
| Bournemouth (H) | Drew 2-2 |
| Liverpool (A) | Lost 2-1 |
| Southampton (H) | Drew 1-1 |
| Brighton (A) | Won 3-2 |
| Tottenham (H) | Drew 1-1 |
Now it appears some of the former teammates of the Hammers quartet will be sad to see them leave the club.
After West Ham posted that announcement about the departure of the quartet on their Instagram page, Rice – who was sold to Arsenal in 2023 – was among those to like the announcement.
Meanwhile Pablo Forals, who himself left the club in February 2024, commented on the post with two teary-eyed emojis.
West Ham exodus to continue after exits confirmed
Football Insider Verdict
In the wake of those departures, Football Insider has been told that more senior stars will have to be sold by West Ham this summer.
As a result, there could be some more emotional exits from the London Stadium, after the sadness of bidding farewell to some fine servants to the club here.
Even so there is no getting away from the fact that feels very much neccessary, with the club needing to bounce back from such a disappointing campaign here.
Potter is said to be excited about the transfer window at West Ham, but if he is to recruit, they will have to create space in the squad and budget from incomings.
Ultimately that can only be generated by the departure of other individuals from the club, and there is still some quality in the side that will attract interest in the market.
With that in mind those connected with West Ham will have to prepare themselves to say several more goodbyes in the coming months.