Pundit fears West Ham will ‘fall apart’ amid Declan Rice latest – ‘it’s bad’
Declan Rice’s West Ham departure could cause the club to “fall apart”.
That’s according to former Hibernian striker Tam McManus, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the midfielder’s future.
According to The Guardian (16 January), Arsenal will make Rice their top summer target and are optimistic of beating London rivals Chelsea to his signature.
The report claims the England midfielder has already been made aware of where he will fit into Mikel Arteta’s plans.
Rice is the captain at West Ham and has played 90 minutes in each of their 19 Premier League games this season.
McManus fears how West Ham will respond to Rice’s potential sale.
“It’s bad for West Ham,” McManus told Football Insider‘s Ben Wild.
“They could have sold him for a lot more money a few years ago. Now they will earn a lot but nowhere near as much.
“You also can’t trust them with the money. We have seen that this season. The signings have been poor and they are right near the bottom of the table with Rice still in the side.
“Take him out and what happens? It’s not great for them. He’s the captain, the one they look to when things aren’t going well.
“You take someone like that out of a team and it can all fall apart. That has to be the worry for them now.
“After a few seasons of Europe they could be back to relegation fights and that’s not where that club should be.
“But they can’t offer Rice the Champions League football he wants.
“It’s a shame for them but you can’t blame Rice.”
In other news, pundit ‘feels sorry’ for David Moyes at West Ham after latest manager update from the London Stadium.