Declan Rice

[CannonBalls]

I'm not sure he would make City's or Arsenal's first 11.

Surely not City. For Arsenal he wont be an upgrade on Partey in that lone 6 role. He could maybe play that Stones type hybrid role for Arsenal if required. Also there are indications he could play the Xhakha role but I am not convinced yet.

The CM market is going to be pretty hot this summer with many good options
Rice / Bellingham / Caicedo / Lavia / Onana / Zubimendi + many others likely to move + the domino effect these will create.

CF market is going to be very small with Bayern / Chelsea / ManUtd / PSG(maybe) / Spurs(maybe if Kane moves) all looking for elite Strikers.

 

[Irwin99]

Why are we still talking about signing him

Fair point. I'll rephrase it: i'd rather we sign someone who has something similar to De Jong's skillset: a metronome who is press resistant and can carry the ball forward.

 

[croadyman]

Fair point. I'll rephrase it: i'd rather we sign someone who has something similar to De Jong's skillset: a metronome who is press resistant and can carry the ball forward.

There we go that's better so now just need to find someone who fits that criteria

 

[GoonerBear]

But having a great engine is not necessary for an 8, nor is driving forward with the ball, Xavi didn't have standout of either for example. There is nothing to show he would be anything but an average 8, but he has shown things to be a good 6.

And that's what I embellished on in my post. What 1 team or manager wants from a player in that position might be totally different from what another manager wants from that position. It all depends on tactics and team set up. That's why I think it's wrong to dismiss someone from playing a position that there is a massively wide scope for.

 

[UpWithRivers]

You could get Neves 45 mill, Paulinha 45 mill and Enzo Le Fee 25 mill and still have change. No one is blowing their whole budget on him unless West Ham drop to 80 ish.

 

[awop]

I hope Pochettino likes him and pushes Chelsea to buy

 

[CloneMC16]

This guy is amazing. Whoever signs him is getting a great player. I don't know why so many people talk down about him. He is much better technically than people give him credit for.

 

[Oscar Bonavena]

City don't need him but they'll probably just buy him to prevent any of their PL rivals getting him. I honestly think that's what they did with Grealish too. I don't think Pep really needed or wanted him, his style of play didn't really fit in with Pep's, but it was better than having him join a potential rival.

He's playing well for them now, but for a £100m player he didn't get much of a look in in the first season. Surely you'd have imagined a 100m signing to be an automatic starter from the get-go?! But not with City.

We've never had a situation before where a club can spend 100 mill on a player they don't really want or need, just to prevent their rivals getting him, but that's where we are now. It's the "Bayern Munichization" of the Premier League.

 

[Oscar Bonavena]

You could get Neves 45 mill, Paulinha 45 mill and Enzo Le Fee 25 mill and still have change. No one is blowing their whole budget on him unless West Ham drop to 80 ish.

I'd love Rice at the club for the right price but I'd take the 3 you mentioned ahead of him for the strength of the squad.

 

[RedRonaldo]

He could stay at West Ham forever, or until his contract expired. No one could/would afford such asking price for a solid but limited DM.

 

[Son]

This guy is amazing. Whoever signs him is getting a great player. I don't know why so many people talk down about him. He is much better technically than people give him credit for.

Still not world class technically and for 120m Madrid get Bellingham we get Rice for the same money. Only one overpayng in that deal. Us as usual.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

This guy is amazing. Whoever signs him is getting a great player. I don't know why so many people talk down about him. He is much better technically than people give him credit for.

I think the point is that we don’t need players that are technically better than given credit for but rather technically brilliant players to lift the overall technical sub par level of the team.

 

[Bebestation]

yeah sancho the technically brilliant player who does shit all

 

[amolbhatia50k]

yeah sancho the technically brilliant player who does shit all

Right. Don’t sign technically gifted players because of Sancho. Makes sense.

 

[TheRedHearted]

City don't need him but they'll probably just buy him to prevent any of their PL rivals getting him. I honestly think that's what they did with Grealish too. I don't think Pep really needed or wanted him, his style of play didn't really fit in with Pep's, but it was better than having him join a potential rival.

He's playing well for them now, but for a £100m player he didn't get much of a look in in the first season. Surely you'd have imagined a 100m signing to be an automatic starter from the get-go?! But not with City.

We've never had a situation before where a club can spend 100 mill on a player they don't really want or need, just to prevent their rivals getting him, but that's where we are now. It's the "Bayern Munichization" of the Premier League.

Na. People need to learn peps philosophy, Josep doesn’t just throw people in unless he’s in dire need of someone in that position (Haaland) . and now Graelish starts against Madrid in the semi final of the champions league.

 

[TheRedHearted]

He could stay at West Ham forever, or until his contract expired. No one could/would afford such asking price for a solid but limited DM.

All depends on the system my friend.

 

[RedRonaldo]

All depends on the system my friend.

Well it’s reported West Ham would want 120m for Rice. Who is going to spend that much on him?


City - already got Rodri and Phillips as backup. They only need 1 DM on starting line up.

Real Madrid - already got Tchouameni, Camavinga, and look set to sign Bellingham too.

PSG - Probably they may need an upgrade on DM. They need better midfielder for sure. But is Rice good enough for them?

Man Utd - We already have Casemiro, we would need a younger/cheaper backup though. Rice is totally out of our budget.

Chelsea - They’ve got Enzo for huge amount. No way they would need Rice too in near future.

Liverpool - they might go for Rice after losing the battle to sign Bellingham from Real hands. But is Rice really an upgrade to Thiago, Henderson, Fabinho in their system?

Arsenal - Really doubt Rice is what they need as they are playing attacking possession football, and will always need total control in midfield, which doesn’t suit Rice sitting back and defend type of solid play at all. But sure one could argue Arsenal may need more defensive balance, just don’t think Rice would suit their style of play in the heart of their midfield.

 

[Raoul]

Well it’s reported West Ham would want 120m for Rice. Who is going to spend that much on him?


City - already got Rodri and Phillips as backup. They only need 1 DM on starting line up.

Real Madrid - already got Tchouameni, Camavinga, and look set to sign Bellingham too.

PSG - Probably they may need an upgrade on DM. They need better midfielder for sure. But is Rice good enough for them?

Man Utd - We already have Casemiro, we would need a younger/cheaper backup though. Rice is totally out of our budget.

Chelsea - They’ve got Enzo for huge amount. No way they would need Rice too in near future.

Liverpool - they might go for Rice after losing the battle to sign Bellingham from Real hands. But is Rice really an upgrade to Thiago, Henderson, Fabinho in their system?

Arsenal - Really doubt Rice is what they need as they are playing attacking possession football, and will always need total control in midfield, which doesn’t suit Rice sitting back and defend type of solid play at all. But sure one could argue Arsenal may need more defensive balance, just don’t think Rice would suit their style of play in the heart of their midfield.

That figure is obviously a negotiating tactic. He would go for closer to 80 imo.

 

[Bondi77]

Well it’s reported West Ham would want 120m for Rice. Who is going to spend that much on him?


City - already got Rodri and Phillips as backup. They only need 1 DM on starting line up.

Real Madrid - already got Tchouameni, Camavinga, and look set to sign Bellingham too.

PSG - Probably they may need an upgrade on DM. They need better midfielder for sure. But is Rice good enough for them?

Man Utd - We already have Casemiro, we would need a younger/cheaper backup though. Rice is totally out of our budget.

Chelsea - They’ve got Enzo for huge amount. No way they would need Rice too in near future.

Liverpool - they might go for Rice after losing the battle to sign Bellingham from Real hands. But is Rice really an upgrade to Thiago, Henderson, Fabinho in their system?

Arsenal - Really doubt Rice is what they need as they are playing attacking possession football, and will always need total control in midfield, which doesn’t suit Rice sitting back and defend type of solid play at all. But sure one could argue Arsenal may need more defensive balance, just don’t think Rice would suit their style of play in the heart of their midfield.

No one so I get the impression West Ham do not want to sell him.

 

[Rojofiam]

Arsenal is the only sensible option for both club and player. Perfect fit and they need him the most. Exciting project as well.

 

[foolsgold]

Arsenal is the only sensible option for both club and player. Perfect fit and they need him the most. Exciting project as well.

I doubt they have the money to pay what West Ham are wanting, if he's smart he'll sit it out for another year and then move for free

 

[Rojofiam]

I doubt they have the money to pay what West Ham are wanting, if he's smart he'll sit it out for another year and then move for free

They were bidding 70-80 million on Caicedo in January. I expect them to sign a few expensive players this summer.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Arsenal is the only sensible option for both club and player. Perfect fit and they need him the most. Exciting project as well.

He’s actually a good fit for them. Not sure it’s sensible to blow their load on him given they could do with other additions too but he’d give him more energy, grit and drive in the middle which they often lack. In terms of passing the ball around well and doing creative things they’re already quite good.

 

[crossy1686]

You could get Neves 45 mill, Paulinha 45 mill and Enzo Le Fee 25 mill and still have change. No one is blowing their whole budget on him unless West Ham drop to 80 ish.

Exactly, I'd sign these 3 before touching Rice. No reason to keep blowing the budget on players that won't make it here

 

[Rojofiam]

He’s actually a good fit for them. Not sure it’s sensible to blow their load on him given they could do with other additions too but he’d give him more energy, grit and drive in the middle which they often lack. In terms of passing the ball around well and doing creative things they’re already quite good.

I'd also consider him to be better than Partey, with the ladder being injury prone too.

 

[GoonerBear]

I doubt they have the money to pay what West Ham are wanting, if he's smart he'll sit it out for another year and then move for free

West Ham has a year option on his deal taking his contact to 2025.

 

[RedRonaldo]

That figure is obviously a negotiating tactic. He would go for closer to 80 imo.

It’s usually goes higher, rather than lower than the reported figure in the end.

Unless the selling club wants to sell him.

 

[Rnd898]

Chelsea - They’ve got Enzo for huge amount. No way they would need Rice too in near future.

On the contrary if you ask me. Because we have Enzo we also need a midfield anchor like Rice to complement him.

Having watched Enzo in the last year for Benfica/Argentina and now with us for a few months I don't think he can be any team's lone DM because not only will it leave the team exposed it will also restrict Enzo's role on and off the ball. We need a DM to play alongside him who will sit deep when Enzo roams forward a little more.

It's quite unlikely we'll actually land Rice but we definitely need to be after a defensive mid player with similar qualities in the summer.

 

[Kostov]

I'd love Rice at United, but those figures are ridiculous. 60m tops and that is like 20m overpaying. His quality is undeniable but overpaying is rarely worth it with most players.

 

[Bebestation]

Right. Don’t sign technically gifted players because of Sancho. Makes sense.

Just focusing on technique doesnt make a player & you need to be much more all rounded. Rice is a defensive cdm who is quite all rounded. Game reading, awareness, interception, carries, energy, acceleration, dribbling out of a press, heading, long passing,leadership & even shots for a cdm. You dont rate him so think hes a non technical player that would offer nothing. H

 

[GueRed]

Was world class last season and has been good this season despite playing in a struggling side.

An excellent defensive midfielder with a lot of qualities and a captain. I'd love him.

But as it stands we wont have a big transfer budget this summer and if we're going to prioritise positions, a DM is fourth, fifth even sixth down the list IMO...

 

[MonsieurGooner]

Strong innuendo Rice has no desire to move out of the M25. I think Arsenal and Chelsea are the likely destinations. Bookies have Arsenal massive favourites, and rightly so. He appears to be Arteta's top choice and given we were bidding close to 90m for Mudryk in January, no reason why we cant offer West Ham a fair price close to what they are asking.

This is the type of signing we need to make if we are to progress. Were already at a high level, but simply put Arteta needs to be aggressive and take no prisoners.

 

[foolsgold]

West Ham has a year option on his deal taking his contact to 2025.

Didn't know that, thanks.

 

[GoonerBear]

Strong innuendo Rice has no desire to move out of the M25. I think Arsenal and Chelsea are the likely destinations. Bookies have Arsenal massive favourites, and rightly so. He appears to be Arteta's top choice and given we were bidding close to 90m for Mudryk in January, no reason why we cant offer West Ham a fair price close to what they are asking.

This is the type of signing we need to make if we are to progress. Were already at a high level, but simply put Arteta needs to be aggressive and take no prisoners.

I know a lot of it is just paper speculation, but 1 thing i don't like are stories that seem to come out from Arsenal's end saying they have confidence / growing confidence that they are able to get a player, only to suddenly be bemused by the demands or asking price of the selling club / player.

Lets get this right, West Ham don't want to lose Rice, the same way Brighton don't want to lose Caceido. So they are perfectly within their rights to say if you want him, then pony up.

Now, Rice is slightly different, in that he has 1+1 year left on his contract, been with them for years and is very well thought of at the club. For these reasons they might be a little bit more reasonable in their demands, especially if Rice has difficult conversations and spells things out to them, but they are not going to massively shift in valuation and what they will perceive as giving him away.

You would think a total package of between £80M-£100M would be fair for all parties, but lets see how accommodating West Ham will be for him. I have a fear they will end up pricing us out, as we've seen this played out in this scenario before. And people will always say it's posturing, they will accept much less etc, but while there are clubs like Chelsea, City, Newcastle etc who have deep pockets, they always have hope that someone comes closer to their valuation.

 

[Oscar Bonavena]

Na. People need to learn peps philosophy, Josep doesn’t just throw people in unless he’s in dire need of someone in that position (Haaland) . and now Graelish starts against Madrid in the semi final of the champions league.

Yeah but that's my point though. What other club would or could spend 100m on a player that they weren't in dire need of?!

Every other club that forks out that much, the team is built around that player. With City it's like, "meh, we'll figure out what to do with him later"!

 

[Forevergiggs1]

I'd love Rice at United, but those figures are ridiculous. 60m tops and that is like 20m overpaying. His quality is undeniable but overpaying is rarely worth it with most players.

If you think Rice is a 40m player what true price would you put on Antony?

 

[MonsieurGooner]

I know a lot of it is just paper speculation, but 1 thing i don't like are stories that seem to come out from Arsenal's end saying they have confidence / growing confidence that they are able to get a player, only to suddenly be bemused by the demands or asking price of the selling club / player.

Lets get this right, West Ham don't want to lose Rice, the same way Brighton don't want to lose Caceido. So they are perfectly within their rights to say if you want him, then pony up.

Now, Rice is slightly different, in that he has 1+1 year left on his contract, been with them for years and is very well thought of at the club. For these reasons they might be a little bit more reasonable in their demands, especially if Rice has difficult conversations and spells things out to them, but they are not going to massively shift in valuation and what they will perceive as giving him away.

You would think a total package of between £80M-£100M would be fair for all parties, but lets see how accommodating West Ham will be for him. I have a fear they will end up pricing us out, as we've seen this played out in this scenario before. And people will always say it's posturing, they will accept much less etc, but while there are clubs like Chelsea, City, Newcastle etc who have deep pockets, they always have hope that someone comes closer to their valuation.

Don't care how much money Newcastle have. No way will he move all the way up North. Rice isnt cattle, he has a say in his next destination, he wont settle for the club West Ham will allow him to leave for. His preference will be a major factor. We dont need to outbid City, Newcastle or Chelsea. All we need to do is take that Mudryk money and offer it to West Ham as a starting point. You may cite Mudryk, but that guy just wanted out of Ukraine, he was in a hurry so settled for Chelsea despite us being his first preference. Rice isnt itching to leave a warzone.

There is a reason why Arsenal are overwhelming short odds to sign Rice with the bookmakers. Im telling you know, Rice is signing for Arsenal this summer

Declan Rice Club After Summer Transfer Window Betting Odds | Football | Oddschecker

 

[MegadrivePerson]

Strong innuendo Rice has no desire to move out of the M25. I think Arsenal and Chelsea are the likely destinations. Bookies have Arsenal massive favourites, and rightly so. He appears to be Arteta's top choice and given we were bidding close to 90m for Mudryk in January, no reason why we cant offer West Ham a fair price close to what they are asking.

This is the type of signing we need to make if we are to progress. Were already at a high level, but simply put Arteta needs to be aggressive and take no prisoners.

One of my friends works for a bank that has dealings with football finances and he told me months ago that an 80 million bid for Rice from Arsenal had been submitted.

 

[TheRedHearted]

Well it’s reported West Ham would want 120m for Rice. Who is going to spend that much on him?


City - already got Rodri and Phillips as backup. They only need 1 DM on starting line up.

Real Madrid - already got Tchouameni, Camavinga, and look set to sign Bellingham too.

PSG - Probably they may need an upgrade on DM. They need better midfielder for sure. But is Rice good enough for them?

Man Utd - We already have Casemiro, we would need a younger/cheaper backup though. Rice is totally out of our budget.

Chelsea - They’ve got Enzo for huge amount. No way they would need Rice too in near future.

Liverpool - they might go for Rice after losing the battle to sign Bellingham from Real hands. But is Rice really an upgrade to Thiago, Henderson, Fabinho in their system?

Arsenal - Really doubt Rice is what they need as they are playing attacking possession football, and will always need total control in midfield, which doesn’t suit Rice sitting back and defend type of solid play at all. But sure one could argue Arsenal may need more defensive balance, just don’t think Rice would suit their style of play in the heart of their midfield.

West Ham need money more then they need 120 million per say, they are almost scraping by this year, clearly they know they need more investment in a couple of different areas. The price won’t be that high but someone could possibly bite.

 

[TheRedHearted]

One of my friends works for a bank that has dealings with football finances and he told me months ago that an 80 million bid for Rice from Arsenal had been submitted.

Exactly.