Wouldn’t sell Declan Rice for even £100 million, proclaims Kevin Nolan
West Ham coach Kevin Nolan believes that Declan Rice could get even better in the near future and confessed that he wouldn’t sell the midfielder even for a £100 million transfer fee. The 22-year-old has thrived for the Hammers ever since his move into midfield, even earning 26 caps for England.
Ever since his transformation into a defensive midfielder, few players in England have done as well as Declan Rice has with the 22-year-old’s rise nothing short of incredible. Rice has gone from being an upcoming star for the Hammers to playing for England on a regular basis while also captaining the London side on a regular basis. Not only that, the 22-year-old has now made his bow in Europe, with West Ham, thriving alongside some of the best clubs in the world.
That combined with the potential and constant improvement that Rice has showcased over the years has more than a few European bigwigs keen on a move for the midfielder. But in light of rumours over a ÂŁ100 million price-tag, Kevin Nolan has confessed that he wouldn’t sell Rice even if that target was met. The West Ham coach believes that the midfielder has already surpassed a few players from yesteryear but still has space and time to improve even further.Â
"When you watch him play, he just seems in control of everything. For me, he’s going to get better. Putting a price tag on him, I wouldn’t sell him for £100m. When you’re in the room with Declan Rice, you know you’re in the room with Declan Rice, but he doesn’t make you feel uneasy,” Nolan told BBC.
“He’s one of those kids who wants to learn, wants to get better, always willing to take advice on, always willing to try and get better and want to get better. The biggest thing for me as a coach is he listens to me, he respects me for what I’ve done, but I feel that this lad can go on and I feel he’s already done more than I have in terms of England appearances, being in Europe and things like that.
"He’s going to keep going because his athleticism. He trains every day, he wants to train every day, he can hit it from one side of the pitch [to the other] with his right foot or his left foot. He can run with the ball, he’s got everything that you could possibly wish for as a footballer and plus he’s got a good footballing brain where he’s now learning for West Ham, and he’s done it with England, he’s now learning how to control games," he added.