A section of West Ham supporters have been reacting with frustration to the club’s reported contract offer to youngster Declan Rice.
The 19-year-old has impressed greatly in the club’s first team this season, but the Daily Mail reports that his representatives have turned down a £12,000-per-week contract offer that they deem to be derisory.
The stalemate leaves the club at risk of losing the defender-cum-midfielder, and the Hammers faithful simply want the club to pay up.
Forever West Ham has rounded up some of the best tweets below.
https://twitter.com/tekkers44whufc/status/1044476323564007424
Normally I would say this is fine but due to the fact that Reece oxford (a player who cannot get near the first team) is on £20k a week reportedly then he does deserve more!!
— Joel Guy ⚒ (@Joel_guy_89) September 25, 2018
How much is Reece Oxford on? He had one good game…the opening game of the 2015/16 season…3 years ago! Stealing a living! Pay RICE the right money. £20-25kpw minimum!
— George Enright (@Enright2214) September 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/nialldosad/status/1044479608098295808
https://twitter.com/puffa_the_gen/status/1044479176118538240
If your a first team regular age doesn't come into it. How many other first team players are on that? He should be paid properly. Again a club is disrespecting an academy product. Bet Diop is on more cos he's foreign and was bought for a load of £££
— Alex Paterson (@alex_paterson7) September 25, 2018
On behalf of all West Ham fans he is worth more
— calum vango (@calumv89) September 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/D_G_00DYWHUFC/status/1044267047109177344
Oxford and Haksabanovic both on in excess of 20k! Pay the kid what he's worth and get it done! Our future skipper!
— Telvis (@Telv1s) September 24, 2018
£18K a week in this PL market with T V money? Insane. And stupid. We can’t afford to lose him.
— Steve Eisner (@1westhamfan) September 24, 2018
OPINION
The West Ham supporters have every right to feel irritated with the club’s intransigence. There’s no reason for them to offer a certain amount and then not be prepared to negotiate any further. Dialogue is important and the club needs to work with Rice’s representatives to find a solution to this problem. At the end of the day Rice is the finest product to come out of the famous West Ham academy in years and they simply cannot afford to lose him. A contract impasse doesn’t suit anyone, and Manuel Pellegrini won’t want this to become a distraction for the 19-year-old. The sort of money being bandied about for him is crazy for a 19-year-old in any other walk of life, but this is football and the fact is that he is massively underpaid at present relative to his peers. He just wants to be paid what he’s worth, as we all do, so the club needs to do the fans a favour and get a deal done.
