Club News

Paul Merson makes a prediction about ‘absolutely phenomenal’ West Ham ace Declan Rice

Add as preferred source on Google

West Ham ace Declan Rice is an ‘absolutely phenomenal’ footballer according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson.

The 23-year-old has been absolutely sensational for the Hammers over the past three years.

Everyone involved with West Ham have known for quite some time just how special Rice is and how much potential he has.

Read also: Antonio shares what he really thought when West Ham didn’t sign a striker on D-day

It seems as though those outside of the London Stadium have woke up and smelt the coffee this season as well.

In fairness, Dec has reached an entirely knew level for the Hammers this season. He’s strong, energetic, dynamic and incredibly powerful.

Manchester United v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images

Dec dominates games in the middle of the park and he is far and away the most important player David Moyes has at his disposal at the London Stadium.

He has been so good for West Ham that Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all apparently want to sign him in the summer (The Telegraph).

Rice is still under contract with West Ham until the summer of 2024 and the club have the option of extending that deal by a further 12 months. So we still hold all the cards.

Whether he will actually be in East London next season, however, remains to be seen.

Paul Merson makes prediction about West Ham ace Declan Rice

The one thing we know for certain is that David Moyes will fight tooth and nail to keep Dec at the club.

Whether the owners will fight as hard is another matter entirely.

And Paul Merson suggested that Rice will leave West Ham in the summer, when speaking exclusively to Sky Sports:

Cheltenham Festival - Ladies Day
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

“I think Declan Rice will be gone this summer. I think it will be Man Utd, if you’re Man Utd you’ve got to break the bank. If you look at their midfield it is not strong enough, they don’t dominate football matches and for me, they have to go and get him. I think he is the best in the business, he has improved immensely, he has taken his game up not one or two, I think he has taken it up ten-fold. From a holding midfield player, he is bombing forward, scoring goals, getting chances, and making goals. I can’t talk highly enough of the lad, I think he’s been absolutely phenomenal.”

Merson is right, Rice is absolutely phenomenal.

Where he’s wrong though is that Manchester United aren’t good enough for Declan Rice. That’s the bottom line.

If Dec left for Manchester City, every West Ham fan would surely wish the 23-year-old well in his future endeavours.

Man United are an absolute car-crash at the moment though. They have zero identity, no playing style and are so far behind the current top three.

In an ideal world, West Ham will show some real ambition in the transfer market in the summer and prove to Rice that he can achieve his ambitions at the London Stadium.

It does feel as though it’s kind of a formality that the England International will leave at some point though. Let’s just hope that it’s not to join Manchester United…or Chelsea for that matter!

Read also:

£1.2m player’s baffling permanent D-Day exit from West Ham really went under the radar

Evening Standard claim West Ham actually made £60m bid for striker on deadline day

Di Marzio claims West Ham tried to sign £35 million-rated 30-year-old striker

Report: West Ham rejected the chance to sign ‘special’ £220k-a-week player on D-Day