Declan Rice showed in the Qatar 2022 World Cup why he is one of the best defensive midfielders. The 23-year old is a magnificent talent and had great performances for England to win Group B, eliminate Senegal in the Round of 16 and almost knocking out France in the quarterfinals.
Rice was a no-brainer for Gareth Southgate and that's why he started all five games during the World Cup. In 2015, Declan Rice began his development process at the youth level with West Ham and, eight years later, he is a Premier League star at his position. That's why many teams are knocking on the Hammers' door.
If the offer satisfies Declan Rice, and of course West Ham, Plan B has been activated for the club. There's no margin of error considering the Hammers are in serious problems of relegation in the Premier League. Read here to find out who might take Rice's place.
Who will replace Declan Rice at West Ham?
Edson Alvarez will be the answer if Declan Rice decides to leave West Ham considering the great interest shown by many teams in the Premier League for England's player. Alvarez is 25-years old with a well earned prestige as a top defensive midfielder.
It's important to remember that last summer, Edson Alvarez was really close of signing with Chelsea after N'Golo Kante got injured. He publicly asked Ajax to let him go in a very controversial statement just hours before the transfer deadline. However, the Dutch club rejected any proposal and retained the Mexican midfielder.
Most of the operations involving Chelsea, for example Declan Rice, depend a lot on how Enzo Fernandez's situation ends. For example, if the player from Argentina goes to the Blues, Rice might not have space for economic reasons and other teams could get involved. Arsenal are one of them.
At the same time, especially after what happened in August, Chelsea haven't missed track of Edson Alvarez and his extraordinary performances with Ajax and Mexico's National. So, a lot is at stake in the transfer market.