Chelsea’s pursuit of Declan Rice has been going on for so long that at times it’s seemed inevitable that he will end up at Stamford Bridge.
But we can’t get complacent – and we can’t forget that the difficult position we’re in now could stop that happening. One of Rice’s coaches, Carlton Cole, has in fact insisted that his team’s star man won’t be going anywhere.
“Where is he going? I just can’t see him going anywhere and [clubs] affording the price,” Cole told The Daily Mail.
“I don’t think Chelsea can do it at the moment for obvious reasons for this season. Where else is he going to go? Man United? No, they aren’t in a good place at the moment either. Why go to Man United when you can stay at West Ham?
“He knows his home truths, he knows exactly what he needs to do and that is play regular football, and he is doing that at West Ham and he is the main man.”
Chelsea have strong options in midfield, and have talented young players pushing for places too. It seems certain that Rice would be a guaranteed starter if he came to the club, but it might mean selling Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic or N’Golo Kante to create space (and funds) for him.
Even if the former Chelsea academy player decides he wants to leave, West Ham have all the cards and can keep hold of their key player until his contract gets closer to its finish.
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