West Ham must spend Declan Rice money wisely to rebuild

It was expected. Anticipated. At some point, Declan Rice was destined to leave West Ham. The moment he rejected two contract extension offers, it became very clear that he has set his heart on moving elsewhere.

But, this is a different story. Rice has progressed through the youth academy at the club and became their captain. West Ham have taken great care of him all these years, and he has repaid the faith by helping them win the Europa Conference League last season.

Rice was never driven by money. After impressing heavily for England in England 2020, he has taken his game to a whole new level in the past few years. He has become arguably one of the best central midfielders in the country and has maintained enviable consistency.

The 24-year-old always wanted to play in the Champions League. He never agitated for a move and was happy to wait for the right time to leave the club. Under David Moyes, the Hammers came close to securing the top spot twice, but they narrowly missed out.

They also reached the semi-finals of the Europa League under Moyes, and Rice was happy to give more time. Probably, if the Hammers managed to get into the top four this season, they could have persuaded him to stay put.

However, West Ham endured a frustrating Premier League campaign, and at one point it felt like Moyes would be sacked. That didn’t happen. In the end, the board didn’t panic and they kept faith in Moyes, who not only guided the club to Premier League safety but also lifted a silverware, which is a watershed moment in the club’s history.

Matter of time

It became crystal clear that it is only a matter of time before Rice will bid goodbye to the club. But he wanted to leave properly, taking the blessings of the fans with him.

Rice had a long-term contract at the club and it enabled West Ham to demand a fee of over £100m for him. Arsenal took time to land him but eventually, they signed him for a British record fee.

Losing a player of Rice’s calibre is obviously a massive blow. On top of that, he was a great leader at the club. It is upto Moyes now to spend the money wisely and bring in the right profile of players.

West Ham are yet to sign a single player, but they have time to make some good signings. The problem with the Hammers is that they are trusting Moyes (he deserves it) again to find the best talents available on the market.

This is where Moyes comes under big scrutiny. Throughout his career, he has done wonders when he has operated on a shoestring budget and signed players that fit his system. Whenever he was given loads of money to operate in the market, he badly failed.

With Rice now gone, Moyes needs to sign some good players to replenish the void. To be fair, Rice may not be the only one who will leave the London club this summer. Gianluca Scamacca – who joined last season from Sassuolo – has been heavily linked with a return to Italy.

The Italy striker has failed to adapt in the Premier League and the Hammers are keen to get rid of him. They have to learn from these mistakes. West Ham paid big for Nikola Vlasic, but he failed to settle down and was loaned to Torino.

Left-back Aaron Cresswell must leave as well. He has been a great servant for the club, but the time has come to look for options elsewhere. Creswell is still superb with his set-piece deliveries, but his blunders at the back show that he is struggling in defence.

Wolves are keen to sign Cresswell and there is a possibility that he could be offloaded this summer. Michail Antonio, another player who has been a terrific servant for the Hammers, is gradually approaching the fag end of his career. He is likely to be offloaded if the right offer comes. Likewise, Spanish midfielder Pablo Fornals is also drawing attention from Spanish club and could be sold as well.

Replacement

First, the big question is who could West Ham sign to replace Rice?

The Hammers have been heavily linked with a move for Denis Zakaria. The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Chelsea and it turned out to be an unimpressive spell at the West London club.

He could be one of the primary candidates for Moyes’s team next season in the defensive midfield role. He has shown his quality for Juventus and there is no reason why he can’t be a solid addition to the side.

Moyes loves to work with English talents, and in that respect, Conor Gallagher could be an ideal option for them. Chelsea have sold a host of midfielders this summer, and they could be willinfg to offload Gallagher if the price is right.

Gallagher is a bix to box midfielder who thrives under managers that give him freedom. He loves to run with the ball, make key passes and score goals. Gallagher featured frequently for the Blues last season, but he should look to move to West Ham if there’s an offer on the table.

Another midfielder who could be of interest to Moyes is James Ward-Prowse. The 28-year-old is expected to leave Southampton following their relegation to the Championship but as of now the two clubs are yet to reach an agreement.

Watd-Prose is known for his outstanding passing abilities and set-piece qualities. He is a vastly experienced Premier League midfielder and should be a solid addition. However, the Saints value him highly and they are not pleased with a swap deal offer either, with Flynn Downes moving the other direction.

Fulham midfielder Joao Palinha is a player in demand and clubs like Liverpool are also vying for his signature. The Portuguese midfielder showed his class for Fulham last season, and he could be set for a big-money move this summer.

Having said that, the Cottagers are unlikely to sell him for cheap, and West Ham may need to dish out a huge sum for his signature. They will probably avoid chasing him, mainly because of his price-tag.

The Hammers need to bolster several areas of the pitch including the forward department. If both Antonio and Scamacca leave the club, West Ham will require at least two strikers. Juventus striker Dusab Vlahohic has been linked with a move, but the Serbian star will probably feel that he can move to a bigger club instead.

The next few weeks are absolutely vital for West Ham, and they must make sure they sign one or two top players before they start their Premier League campaign away to Bournemouth on August 12. You can already buy tickets for the game, but West Ham fans will hope to see a new-look side when they travel to the South Coast next month.