Paul Merson has suggested that Declan Rice’s impressive form could prove to be a problem for West Ham in the future.
The 20-year-old midfielder chose to switch international allegiances from the Republic of Ireland to England this week, and former Arsenal man Merson believes that he should be awarded a cap as soon as possible.
Writing in his column for the Daily Star, he said: “I’ve been surprised by how good he’s been this season. He never hides and always wants the ball. He should go into the England team as soon as possible.
“England don’t have many specialist holding midfielders. There’s Eric Dier and maybe Harry Winks, who is a better passer, but Rice gives you another option.
“I just think this could be a problem for West Ham. Bigger clubs will be looking at him come the end of the season and probably are now.
“He signed a new contract but it’s not worth a whole lot of money and he could certainly earn a lot more elsewhere. Any of the top teams would take him.”
OPINION
Rice is an exceptional young player, and it’s only natural that there is already a hubbub surrounding his future at West Ham. He is far from being the finished article, but the fact is that there are few if any young midfielders in the Premier League who boast the potential and maturity that he does. He has a long way to go, undoubtedly, but there’s no reason to believe that the young Hammer can’t go all the way to the top. If that is the case, then Merson is right that West Ham should be worried. Anybody looking Rice can see the player he could become, and the top clubs aren’t going to wait around, with his price tag growing every game, to see if realises his potential. Instead, they are going to try and tie up a deal as soon as possible so that they save themselves a a lot of money, and compared to the City’s and United’s of this world, the Hammers simply cannot compete financially.
