Newcastle United’s recent draw with West Ham United will no doubt have given Magpies manager Eddie Howe the opportunity to take a closer look at Declan Rice in the opposition midfield, with the England international appearing to be a possible target for the Tynesiders of late.
According to Football Insider, the St James’ Park club could be ‘in the running’ to sign the 24-year-old this summer if they secure Champions League qualification at the end of the season, despite the fact that a number of Premier League’s top clubs are also interested.
According to the report, the one-time Chelsea youth product could command a fee of around £80 million if he moves on in the near future, with the Hammers captain having only 18 months left on his current deal at the London Stadium.
According to pundit Paul Robinson, a move to the northeast could be a “very tempting proposition” for the £60k-per-week maestro if the club can finish in the top four, with a real coup if Howe and co can persuade Rice to make the switch later this year.
The 6 foot 1 sensation’s performance on Saturday will have only increased his standing among those at Newcastle, having been dubbed the “game’s outstanding player” by Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope.
That standout performance demonstrated the breadth of the highly-coveted gem’s abilities, as he recorded three interceptions and 12 recoveries in his 90-minute outing, while also providing six passes into the final third to demonstrate his forward-thinking approach.
Rice’s most telling contribution came for the visitors’ equalizer, with a lovely inswinging corner finding its way to Lucas Paqueta, who fired home at the back post.
That outstanding performance, which earned the commanding ace a 7.6 match rating according to FotMob, was also praised by 90min’s Tom Gott, who gave the player an 8/10 match rating while also stating: ‘His physicality was far too much for Newcastle, who couldn’t match his tempo-setting intelligence either.’
Despite West Ham’s struggles, such a performance has been the norm for the Kingston-born ace this season, as he notably averages 2.3 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, a better record than the current Newcastle trio of Sean Longstaff (1.1, 0.6), Joe Willock (1.6, 0.6), and Bruno Guimaraes (2.2, 1.2).
With Howe and co.’s midfield ranks depleted by Jonjo Shelvey’s departure last month – and having been unable to find a suitable replacement – it’s possible that the summer is where that area of the pitch is finally addressed.
Bringing in Rice as that solution would undoubtedly be a dream scenario, with the Irons talisman being the type of figure that Hope describes as “craving in the middle of the park” for the Newcastle manager.
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