Former West Ham assistant manager Stuart Pearce insists Declan Rice owes the club ‘absolutely nothing’ amid transfer rumours.
Pearce, who was an assistant under David Moyes in the previous two seasons, got to see Rice firsthand and isn’t surprised at his ambitions.
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Rice is performing at the highest level for England but not for West Ham
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And Pearce can understand why he might want to leave
The England regular recently said he wants more at club level and ‘to see his friends play in the Champions League and win big trophies’.
This has undoubtedly increased speculation surrounding the 23-year-old who was previously linked with Chelsea and Manchester United despite a mammoth price tag.
Should he leave in the near future, however, West Ham can have no qualms, according to talkSPORT’s Pearce.
“He owes absolutely nothing to West Ham,” said the England legend. “He was brilliant, he led them to two European campaigns.
“I don’t think he will be moving anytime soon, by that I mean until next summer, he certainly won’t be.
“But depending on how far England go, if England go far in this tournament they put themselves in the window all the time which is a good thing, you want your players to get attention from elsewhere. .
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Rice still has around 18 months left on his contract with West Ham, but the Hammers skipper has attracted a lot of interest from elsewhere
“He’s an exceptional player and what player wouldn’t turn around and say my ambition is to play in the Champions League?
“I would love to see him lead West Ham into the Champions League, but he has the world at his feet and I hope he continues to improve.”
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