Former Tottenham and Chelsea man Cundy is not impressed by the Hammers’ treatment of Rice.
Jason Cundy has told TalkSPORT that he feels for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, and blasted the east London club over continually failing to renew his contract.
TalkSPORT report that West Ham have now offered the 19-year-old a contract worth £21,000 a week, much more than the £3,000-a-week he currently earns. But the potential incoming of free agent Samir Nasri has angered fans.
Though the signing of Nasri may prove beneficial, West Ham fans cannot seem to understand why their club can afford to sign the former Arsenal player – when they cannot hand Rice an improved contract and meet the teenager’s demands.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea defender Cundy, who is renowned for his rants on TalkSPORT, annihilated West Ham as “cringey” and “embarrassing” over Rice’s contract, which expires at the end of the season.
“He’s a young lad,” Cundy said. “He’s come through your system, he has established himself in the West Ham midfield. [He’s] done really well, very accomplished. He is the future. He’s a regular starter in the midfield of a Premier League club.
“There comes with that – for me – a standard wage which is not £20,000-a-week. It’s not. People say he’s only on £3,000-a-week. I don’t think West Ham can afford to allow this young man even to consider that he leaves.
“And when you see Samir Nasri come in, and you’ll be thinking to yourself – and other players will be thinking: ‘What has he done to deserve this right now? It just sums up West Ham, everything they do is cringey, it’s embarrassing.
“They seem to want to do things in the cheapest possible way.”
Rice has been at the centre of a contract stand-off for much of the season, with fans seemingly on the player’s side as his demands do not seem to be unrealistic.
However, with less than two months until the January transfer window, West Ham are still yet to pen Rice down to a new contract despite coming close to completing a deal for Nasri – who is likely to be on big money.
Rice has started the last eight Premier League matches for West Ham and proved crucial in helping Manuel Pellegrini turn the Hammers’ poor start into a decent one. With Rice in the side, the Hammers have only lost twice in those last eight.
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