Former West Ham United striker Carlton Cole believes it is not the “right time” for Hammers midfielder and Chelsea target Declan Rice to leave the club.
Numerous media outlets have linked Rice with a move away from London Stadium this summer. Manchester United and Chelsea are two clubs rumored to be interested in the 23-year-old.
Also, EUROSPORT reported earlier this month that Rice had also turned down two contract offers from West Ham (his current contract expires in 2024). The Englishman reportedly wants to move to a club that will ply his trade in the UEFA Champions League next season.
This could put Chelsea in the driver’s seat as Manchester United take part in the UEFA Europa League for the 2022-23 campaign.
Cole, who played 293 times for West Ham and also made 34 appearances for the Blues, believes the Hammers can’t let Rice go this summer.
He said Sun:
“Declan is obviously very important. Obviously, there is speculation about his future here, there and everywhere. But right now I don’t feel like it’s the right time for him to move on.”
The former Blues striker further added:
“I think he is in a club where they have expectations of moving forward and I think as long as he understands the project and knows his place within the team. We can’t lose too many.” [players]. We just lost Mark Noble and I think we’ve got a few others that we’ve lost now, so we have to beef up and we can’t let go of our best players right now.”
Rice made 50 competitive appearances for the Hammers last season, scoring five goals and providing four assists. He played a key role in David Moyes’ side as the Hammers reached the Europa League semi-finals and finished seventh in the Premier League standings.
Carlton Cole thinks West Ham United can replace Declan Rice
While Cole seemed to reiterate that he would like Rice to continue at West Ham, he believes the Hammers can cope with the midfielder’s departure.
The former Celtic striker said:
“If it happens and someone comes in with an offer we can’t refuse [for Rice], then it’s just the way it is. We will reshuffle the package and no one in that West Ham team is irreplaceable. You’ll always get some diamonds in the rough and we’ve found plenty of them.”
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It’s worth noting that Rice was initially part of Chelsea’s youth setup before moving to West Ham. Since then, he has made 150 appearances for the Hammers and has also won 32 caps for England.
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