The Hammers defensive midfielder is now contracted to the Premier League club until 2024.
Amazing how quickly things change in football – in September, alarm bells were ringing among the West Ham United fanbase as their new manager, Manuel Pellegrini, oversaw four straight defeats in the Premier League.
The temptation to sack the manager could well have been there – after all, 12 months earlier, Crystal Palace did just that with Frank de Boer after five losses in the league.
However, going into their final game of 2018, the Hammers have won five of their last six league games, including four in a row prior to the 2-0 loss against Watford.
Now, West Ham fans can hail another coup for their club to end their year on a high, as highly rated midfielder Declan Rice has finally committed his future to the East Londoners until 2024.
Despite being just 19, Rice has come a long way since making his debut at the end of the 2016-17 season, to the point he’s become indispensable for the Hammers.
According to the West Ham website, he has started 28 of the Irons’ last 32 first-team matches and is also the first Hammers player since Michael Carrick to pass 50 first-team appearances while still a teenager.
In addition, Rice has shown great resolve in twice coming back from the ignominy of being taken off at half time – against Liverpool at the start of this season and against Newcastle last year – to bounce back.
Playing across the back and in defensive midfielder under David Moyes is a sign of versatility; two yellow cards in his last one-and-a-half seasons (Transfermarkt) shows calm and composure; and ranking second at the club in passes attempted and fourth in both touches and tackles made (official Hammers website) is testament to his superb talent.
Therefore, Rice’s long-term contract at West Ham is more than the retention of a superb player – it’s a signal of intent that the Hammers mean business and intend to prosper, which in turn could attract further talent to the club, thus it could be deemed their best piece of transfer business this winter, or maybe even this season.
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