All eyes will be on Declan Rice as Chelsea and West Ham clash

Declan Rice is about the only transfer rumor Chelsea has going right now. All eyes will be on him as the Blues face West Ham before the window.

It is rare to be this close to a transfer window with so few rumors. In fairness, Chelsea had rumors last winter and ended up bringing in no one at all, but it is still unusual. There could be a sense that after the summer spree and with teams in difficult financial situations as it is that it will be a quiet winter.

That being said, there is one rumor that has remained just below the surface since the summer. The missing piece that is Declan Rice remains linked to the Blues, though the picture is much different than it was over the summer. Then, West Ham looked like a team that would need to sell to finance themselves and a relegation fight looked in order. The opening day loss to Newcastle and the subsequent schedule did little to alienate that notion. But then, West Ham flipped the script and they have quietly become one of this season’s success stories. The picture as far as Rice goes is much different.

If Rice were to leave in January now, he wouldn’t be leaving a team fighting relegation desperate for solutions. He would instead be leaving a solidly midtable team midseason. That alone probably makes a transfer unlikely, but not impossible. Money talks and West Ham still need it. Furthermore, Rice wants to join a trophy winning side and Chelsea is at least in the conversation this season. It is hard to tell what the future holds, so the Blues in the hunt now is a bird in hand compared to the unknown of the future being two in the bush. As the Blues face the Hammers before Christmas, all eyes for both sides will be on Rice.

West Ham has always had good individuals, but the hardest thing for any manager has been putting them in the right place to create a whole that works. David Moyes has seemingly found that with 3-4-3 built around Rice and Tomas Soucek as the central pivot. England has copied the idea as of late with Rice and Mason Mount forming the pivot of a 3-4-3 in recent international matches.

Rice is a solidly defensive player but it shouldn’t be ignored how helpful he is deeper in possession. That might give hints as to how Chelsea need to deal with him and as to how he might be used. The midfield pair of a 3-4-3 can often look similar to the pivot of a 4-2-3-1, and rumors of Frank Lampard seeing N’Golo Kante’s role as more proactive could see the two play together behind a band of three. Rice could also play in a back three, but this season especially seems to indicate he is better used in the midfield.

Of course, none of this should be taken as an assumption that Rice will join Chelsea. It is more likely than not, but the Blues do not have a divine right to a player that isn’t theirs. If anything, West Ham could hold out for another two or three years before needing to sell Rice on or lose him for free.

A January move is very unlikely, though the Blues will surely do their best. Negotiations will start as Chelsea faces West Ham both on the pitch and off it. Rice is unlikely to force a move, but if the club wants to bring him back, surely an agreement can be reached either in January or in the summer.