Sport
Rice’s England performances show he’s ready for a step up at club level
Harry Kane became England’s all-time top scorer in last week’s Euro 2024 qualification win over Italy, but one player arguably shone even brighter at the Stadio Olimpico. Indeed, Declan Rice was one of the best players in a white shirt as Gareth Southgate’s side controlled the majority of the match in Italy.
This performance came as speculation over Rice’s future continues to swirl. The 24-year-old will enter the final year of his contract at West Ham this summer with Arsenal and Chelsea believed to be at the front of the transfer market queue. Rice himself has been candid about his ambition to play at a higher level.
“One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” he said while on international duty with England at the 2022 World Cup. “For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that.
“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
Rice’s performances for England highlight how he is ready for the next step. The midfielder has struggled at club level this season along with many of his West Ham teammates, but against Italy and Ukraine he proved his ability to lift his performances according to the task and opponent in front of him.
Chelsea have long been linked with Rice who came through the Stamford Bridge club’s academy before being released as a teenager. N’Golo Kante remains desperately injury prone and so the Blues could certainly use a new midfield anchor, although the January capture of Enzo Fernandez might have filled that void.
There’s no guarantee Rice would start for Arsenal either. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka have forged a strong partnership for the Gunners in the centre of the pitch with Martin Odegaard the creator in-chief ahead of them as the link between midfield and attack. At least initially, Rice would probably be a depth option.
Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United have also been linked with Rice at one point or another in the past. It’s difficult to envisage how Pep Guardiola and Erik Ten Hag could fit the 24-year-old into their teams – City already have Rodri and Kalvin Phillips while United have Casemiro – but Jurgen Klopp must rebuild his midfield this summer and Rice could be a part of that.
West Ham are at risk of dropping into the Championship with David Moyes’ team currently sitting in the Premier League’s bottom three. Rice wouldn’t hang around in the second tier and even if the Hammers manage to avoid relegation he has reached a career crossroads and must pick a different direction.
At Euro 2020, Rice needed Phillips alongside him to control the midfield for England. At the 2022 World Cup, though, Rice had developed his all-round game to such an extent that he was deployed alongside the more dynamic, attack-minded Jude Bellingham. He offers enough in his own right to secure the centre of the pitch.
In the past, Rice has been criticised for being limited in comparison to other modern midfielders. There are still concerns over the tempo he plays at and whether he would be able to operate at the speed required at the top level of the European game. If Rice is a standout performer for England right now, there’s a good chance he could be similar for one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
