Former Chelsea star downplays importance of Declan Rice since his move to Arsenal

PREMIER LEAGUE Former Chelsea star downplays importance of Declan Rice since his move to Arsenal

Mark Kinyanjui 15:04 - 14.10.2023

The France international believes that the signings West Ham made to replace Declan Rice are “very clever”.

Kurt Zouma has claimed that West Ham United do not miss Declan Rice after he made the £105million transfer switch to Arsenal in the summer.

The Gunners made Rice their record signing in the off season transfer window, and he has lived up to expectations so far, which has left fans in awe of the England midfielder.

The 24-year old has shown his ball winning prowess which has protected the backline. On the ball, his ability to carry it up the field is helpful, while he has shown a real presence over his short time so far.

The former Chelsea academy product has even a goal to his name, as his strike against Manchester United got him off the mark. His winning mentality and character has also rubbed on his teammates the right way.

However, West Ham have also shown no signs of missing their former captain so far, as they sit seventh after eight games.

The Hammers signed James Ward-Prowse from relegated Southampton and signed Edson Alvarez from Ajax to replace his ball-winning capabilities.

Speaking to the media, Zouma, who is the new captain, made a bold claim that Rice was nothing more than an opponent now, singing praises about his replacements who were “very clever” in his opinion.

"We lost an important player in the summer in Declan Rice. But I think the replacements we made have been very clever and we can feel how that didn’t affect us.

“He is a great player who made some amazing games here and he will always be remembered here, but he is an opponent now.

"The players who have come in have bought into the project at West Ham. They have bought into the tactics and settled very quickly. They are helping us make a good start to the season. Everybody understands the way we play.

"Last year it was different because we had a lot of new players who came at the same time who were new to the Premier League. But this year we have players, for example James Ward-Prowse, who knows the league very well.

“Edson Alvarez is someone who you feel never stops running and this is the type of player we need in the team. The top players we have brought in have had help from us and they have fitted in right away."

It remains to be seen how Rice is received back at West Ham when he faces them for Arsenal, but for now he seems to have found his new home with an amicable parting from the Hammers.