Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry… a lot of the boys from West Ham Academy ended up becoming legends across London at Chelsea.
But the roles may have turned because, for rising star Declan Rice, it could be the other way around.
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Rice has raised another level for West Ham this season
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Add goals to his game and he could make comparisons with this man
Out of Chelsea academy at the age of 15, the 22-year-old is now one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
Rice has played every game for England as the Three Lions reached the Euro 2020 final – and now the box-to-box star has led West Ham to third place in the top flight.
Suddenly his £ 100million price tag this summer, which Chelsea and Manchester United have refused to pay, looks like a bargain.
And they’ll have to pay more if the Hammers are even willing to sell it anytime soon.
But the Blues can take inspiration from the last time they broke up with a large sum of money to sign a West Ham midfielder.
Chelsea have been linked with a decision to bring Rice back
You know, the one who turned out to be arguably the best signing in their history.
In 2001, £ 11million was a lot of money. At this point, the biggest Premier League deal was Arsenal’s Nicolas Anelka at Real Madrid for £ 22.5million.
There were questions about whether Rice was worth £ 100million last summer. Well, many didn’t think the Blues were right to pay so much for Lampard.
The former Hammers midfielder fought for affection at Upton Park, struggling to ignore suggestions of nepotism.
After breaking into the senior squad at the age of 17, Lampard was accused of favoritism from the first minute, and it didn’t help that his uncle, Harry Redknapp, was the manager, alongside his father as an assistant.
Large sections of fans taunted him about his weight and his relationship with the club, to the point that it became oppressive and personal, even going so far as to cheer him on when he broke his leg in 1996.
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Lampard’s time in West Ham has turned into a messy affair
Still, considering he’s never been so bad for West Ham, a pre-Roman Chelsea Abramovich was willing to spend the money.
Aston Villa also made a £ 15million offer for Lampard and Freddie Kanoute, which was rejected by the Hammers.
Furious at West Ham chairman Terry Brown for his treatment of his father and uncle, Lampard quickly set his sights on revenge.
Chelsea general manager Colin Hutchinson explained at the time why the club were so keen to land him. “We’ve lowered the age on the team over the last year and people might think he’s older because he’s a bit around but Frank is only 22. “
In the end, Lampard was pretty good at football and not, as some had harshly suggested, just a fat kid who lashed out at nepotism.
He scored seven goals in 20 appearances against West Ham to become the leading midfielder in Premier League history.
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Lampard was desperate to bring the midfielder back to Stamford Bridge
In the end, £ 11million turned out to be one of the biggest deals in English football history.
Rice is worshiped by the Hammers’ devotees in a way Lampard never was.
Ironically, it was during Lampard’s tenure as Chelsea boss that the club were initially credited with an interest in Rice, as the Blues legend threatened to make himself even more unpopular in east London.
But, in case you haven’t heard, West Ham is huge now – and maybe they’ll keep this much-requested English star to themselves.
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