Moyes says Declan Rice did something at West Ham which actually hurt the team before he joined Arsenal
David Moyes and Declan Rice enjoyed a successful time together at West Ham United.
The Scottish manager guided the England international to success in Europe as they won the Europa Conference League together.
Rice moved on to join Arsenal in a club record move while Moyes was shown the exit door at the London Stadium at the end of the 2023-24 season.
The midfielder is currently on international duty with England and he is hoping to help Gareth Southgate’s team to success in the European Championship.
In a recent conversation with the podcast The Rest Is Football, Moyes acknowledged that Rice’s desire was, up until he departed, somewhat impeding West Ham.
Rice wanted to establish himself, according to Moyes, since he was conscious of criticism that he didn’t score enough goals in his second season.
And Moyes hinted that he believed Rice would have been better suited playing as a six at Arsenal while discussing the impact that had on Tomas Soucek’s game.
Moyes said:
“Declan was such a great lad to have and could cover the ground in his recovery speed, his ability. But I have to say, and I’ve said it, he has improved in a lot of ways.
“He wanted to get forward more in the second year. The first year together when we had Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice, Tomas was the one making the box and scoring the goals.
“Declan was sitting. I think Declan felt, and there was a lot getting said, Declan Rice is not going to be that good if he can’t score a goal, if he can’t really get forward.
“And I think Declan got a wee bit hurt by that as well. And actually, it didn’t help the balance as well with the team, because Tomas ended up having to sit a little bit more and he wasn’t as good at what Declan could do.
“And Declan at the time wasn’t scoring quite enough, he was getting a few, but I think he wanted to prove to everybody how good he could be at the other side as well.
“I think he’s better as a six.”
Declan Rice has transitioned well from West Ham to Arsenal
At Arsenal, Rice has been hugely success in the number eight role and his output in the final third has increased significantly.
The England international scored seven goals last season, some really crucial ones against Manchester United and Luton Town, while also providing eleven assists.
He was one of their best players last season and helped them fight Manchester City for the Premier League title.
The post Moyes says Declan Rice did something at West Ham which actually hurt the team before he joined Arsenal appeared first on CaughtOffside.