Latest

Nasri deal will have Rice wondering where he stands

|
Image for Nasri deal will have Rice wondering where he stands

OPINION

Declan Rice has arguably been West Ham’s player of the season this campaign, up there with the likes of goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and attacker Marko Arnautovic.

However, it appears that the club don’t have the money to meet his contract demands, despite being willing to splash the cash on free agent midfielder Samir Nasri.

The Evening Standard reported on Monday that the Hammers were preparing to offer the Frenchman an £80,000-per-week deal at the club.

This, despite the powers that be failing to agree to terms with a first team star like Rice. The Telegraph reported in September that the club had issued a take-it-or-leave-it offer to the teenager after he rejected a deal worth £40,000-per-week.

Putting aside Rice’s wisdom, or lack of it, in turning down a contract of that magnitude, it must be baffling for the youngster to see his club offer such a huge sum to a 31-year-old coming off a drugs ban when they seemingly can’t find the money for his new deal.

The priority for the club should, surely, be tying Rice down to a long term deal. This is a player who the Mail reports is attracting interest from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Yet there seems to be no rush about sorting his future.

The stance that West Ham have taken is truly baffling. Rice is the future of the club and, if everything goes well, will be patrolling the Hammers midfield for the next 15 years.

So why is it more important for Manuel Pellegrini to reunite with an unfit has-been than sorting out Rice’s contract issue?

This is textbook short termism from the Hammers. They have injuries in midfield and so they are throwing money at a past-his-best free agent.

If they looked at the big picture they would realise that the priority is sorting Rice out. It sends completely the wrong message to the 19-year-old that the club are willing to spend more money on someone who hasn’t played for 18 months than they are on him.

You can debate the merits of the Nasri deal in and of itself, but what’s indisputable is that the club should have sorted out Rice’s contract extension long before the Frenchman ever appeared on their radar.

Share this article