Let’s hope David Moyes has just dropped a big transfer hint over who he might want to replace Declan Rice at West Ham.
Rice caused a stir this week by using an England World Cup press conference to discuss his ambitions at club level.
That was nothing new to West Ham fans of course.
Rice had already made it clear in several interviews and with his actions that he intends to leave to play for an elite club competing at that level.
The West Ham talisman and his father/agent Sean have thus far refused to sign a new contract after being offered in excess of £200k per week – a whopping £83m over the course of the proposed deal.
West Ham are planning a third and final contract offer to Rice worth in excess of £100m but expect it to go unsigned.
Moyes knows he faces the looming spectre of having to replace Rice, probably at the end of the season.
That has already resulted in a host of players being linked with West Ham including Juventus and USA star Weston McKennie.
But another defensive midfielder who has seriously caught the eye during the tournament has been Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat.
Let’s hope David Moyes has just dropped a big transfer hint over who he might want to replace Declan Rice at West Ham
West Ham were actually linked with a move for Amrabat a few years ago when Manuel Pellegrini was in charge (Calciomercato).
And it seems West Ham’s current manager also likes to the look of Nayef Aguerd’s international teammate Amrabat.
Let’s hope Moyes has just dropped a big transfer hint over who he might want to replace Rice at West Ham.
Speaking in his column in The Times Moyes picked Amrabat out for special praise.
“I’ve been impressed with the energy, attitude and quality of their holding midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat,” Moyes said in The Times.
So how do Rice and Amrabat comprare?
Overall, unsurprisingly, Rice is slightly better than Amrabat statistically. Obviously stats can’t measure key aspects such as leadership and character.-
But statistically there’s not a huge amount in it and you can bet your bottom dollar there would be a huge difference in price between West Ham’s talisman and the Fiorentina midfielder.
Rice has played five more league games than Amrabat this season and makes double the number of tackles than the Moroccan per game (2.4 to 1.2).
On average West Ham’s £100m man also makes double the number of interceptions (1.6 to 0.8). Amrabat commits nearly three times as many fouls (1.8 to 0.5). Rice makes marginally more clearances, Amrabat actually makes slightly more dribbles and both have a similar number of blocks.
Interestingly Amrabat’s stats at the World Cup have doubled and even trebled for several of those key categories suggesting he is showing his true capabilities on the world stage.
Amrabat’s passing is excellent and marginally better than Rice’s with a 90.8% pass completion rate in Serie A compared to Rice’s 90.4.
Aguerd’s teammate is certainly one for Moyes to consider as we slowly reach the end of Rice’s time at West Ham.
And he would undoubtedly cost nothing like what the Hammers will get for their captain.
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