Ally McCoist thinks West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is a ‘better option’ than Chelsea’s British-record transfer of Enzo Fernandez and Arsenal’s failed January capture of, Moises Caicedo.
Whilst Graham Potter’s Chelsea got a £107 million deal (BBC Sport) over the line for Fernandez from Benfica, it wasn’t the case for their neighbours, who couldn’t persuade Brighton to part ways with their star midfielder.
But with the above two players being the talk of the January transfer window, former Scotland international Ally McCoist thinks Rice was the one they should have signed, as he told talkSPORT (31/01/23).
Rice is David Moyes’ captain at the London Stadium, after Mark Noble’s retirement last season, so it wouldn’t have looked great if he pushed for a move last month.
Although, it’s going to be a different story in the summer for the England international, especially with his contract running down.
Nonetheless, with Chelsea adding Fernandez to their ranks and Arsenal signing Jorginho instead of Caicedo, the duo have been told that they should have signed someone else instead.
“The West Ham fans won’t thank me for it,” said McCoist.
“But if Chelsea are going to spend all sorts of money on Fernandez and Arsenal were looking to spend a right few on Caicedo, then surely Declan Rice is a good and better option than the pair of them?
“Why are Chelsea going for Fernandez and spending all that money, when they can potentially test the water on West Ham, I am just going to annoy West Ham supporters and I don’t want to do it.”
WHO WILL SIGN DECLAN RICE?
West Ham are in a relegation battle this season and they have slipped up from their past Europen finishes.
Even the most ardent of West Ham supporters will probably admit that he will head for the exit door in the summer, it’s just a case of who will secure his signature.
Are Chelsea really going to go money-crazy again in the summer? Manchester United don’t need him because they have Casemiro, whilst Liverpool might miss out on a top-four finish.
That possibly opens the door for Arsenal to add that much-needed depth to their squad and sign Rice, but of course, it’s not going to be that easy to get him.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
