If West Ham United’s poor form continues for much longer, pundit Frank McAvennie believes midfielder Declan Rice will look to move during the January transfer window.
Although he still has two years left on his deal, with the Hammers also retaining the option to add another year, Rice’s future has been heavily speculated for quite some time.
Rumoured to be wanted by the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, the 23-year-old midfielder looks certain to become one of the country’s most expensive players.
However, even though a move to one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs has not yet materialised, McAvennie fears it is now just a matter of time.
“I think they’ll look at a big centre half again,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“It depends on the midfield too. If they don’t get their finger out, Declan will leave. Sooner rather than later, I want it to be later. I think everyone is in sync that he will go next year. Everyone, all the West Ham fans.
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“I still think he would stay if the club matched his ambitions and bought wonderful players, then I think Declan would stay. Because he wants Champions League and there’s no way they can fight for Champions League spots.
“At the moment it’s not even close, so I don’t know what the answer will be but he’s [Moyes] got to make changes that’s for sure.
“To make changes he’s got to rely on the players he can trust. I don’t know who he’ll bring on but it might be a midfield player. Because there’s not many players that he can bring in.
“They need an anchor man, every team needs it. West Ham hasn’t got it, that’s for sure. You need somebody to just sit in the midfield. Soucek used to do it but he’s not doing it anymore. He’s not close to it.“