Declan Rice and Chelsea links - The Update

An honest and concise reflection on the true proceedings of our #1 transfer target from our guy Dan McCarthy

Like many, I logged on Twitter this morning to an array of publications, journalists, and “educated” accounts sharing their insight into the recent developments around Declan Rice.

Many avenues were explored, from a new agent to season tickets, to the timing of a potential transfer, transfer requests, and more. Quite simply, the truth on all this can be found here.

Before I get into the specifics, many would have seen my efficient and thorough updates on this particular saga in the summer.

Many of you actually may have “discovered” or followed me due to these updates. Most of you will know I am close to this situation and in a good position to provide clear, transparent news on it. Enough with the boring stuff…

Firstly, the"Declan’s just changed agent’s talk” is nonsense. To clarify, there hasn’t been a recent move in the last week or so on the agent front with Declan.

Rumours of his dad taking over in the last few days to harbour a deal to Chelsea and “make the move smoother” are not true, and shouldn’t be taken seriously. Whilst Declan is very close with his family, and his dad like many takes care of a lot of what happens with Declan, no strategic move has been made here to get Declan to Chelsea.

Next, the season ticket story. It’s no secret Declan and his family are Chelsea fans, from the area, etc.

Growing up, yes they were season ticket holders at Stamford Bridge, however, this is no longer the case.

You will find Declan’s family watching Declan where he now plays, at West Ham. They wouldn’t miss one of his games to go watch Chelsea, despite their long-term affinity with the West London team. Family comes first, rightly so.

Moving on, the transfer request. No transfer request has ever been submitted from Declan, nor his family/representation.

Moving forward, I find it unlikely anyone from Declan Rice’s corner will hand in a transfer request. The respect the Rice family has for West Ham United is cohesively strong, Declan loves playing for the club and represents them now as captain very proudly.

Declan has a strong relationship with the fan base also and would hate to upset them further with a transfer request, in order to force a move to a London rival in Chelsea.

Finally, regarding the timing/fee of a potential move. It is no secret Declan Rice would love to return to Chelsea Football Club one day. The club was home to him in his youth for many years in his academy days, he still maintains many friends around SW6.

The deal did not happen in the summer, due to Chelsea failing to offload certain players and raise the necessary funds to make a tempting bid for Rice.

As I have always maintained, I also find the deal unlikely to happen in the upcoming January transfer window, for many reasons.

West Ham under David Moyes are doing well, Declan is flying with his performances and captaining the side, and January is never a good time to sell your best player, mid-way through the season.

If you sprinkle on top the fact West Ham are incredibly stubborn with their prices when selling their prized-assets, plus Declan arguably only increasing this number with his recent performances, all signals point to a potential summer move from Chelsea.

Will Declan cost £80 million? In the past summer, I would have said no. I still maintain we can get a deal done for cheaper than this figure.

However, the timing of this move and Declan’s form will play a part in this.

As you guys will know, I want Declan Rice at Chelsea just as much as anyone, I believe he belongs at Chelsea and can significantly improve the team. However, it’s a difficult move to make for all parties, and we have to be patient.

In summary, be patient, don’t believe everything you read, and keep one eye on the January transfer window, but maybe keep two for the Summer of 2021.

Dan McCarthy - @MaccaSport