Declan Rice left West Ham United to join Arsenal back in the summer of 2023.
The move was greeted with disdain by many West Ham fans, who accused Declan Rice of turning his back on the club and being a traitor, after he left to join their London rivals Arsenal.
When you really look into it though, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s worth remembering that Rice never once demanded an exit from the London Stadium, and he always gave his all when he wore the claret and blue shirt.
Rice also captained the Hammers to a European trophy – something only one other West Ham captain has done – Bobby Moore.
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That said, the West Ham fans still enjoyed seeing Declan Rice struggling during the 1-0 win over Arsenal at The Emirates back in February.
In spite of that, it’s clear to see that the Hammers still desperately miss Rice.
He showed his quality on the very biggest stage on Tuesday night, after he scored two world-class free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
West Ham fans might change their minds on Declan Rice
It doesn’t sit right that Rice has become somewhat of a hate-figure in East London amongst certain sections of the fanbase.
He deserves more than that, and should be respected for the way he handled things, rather than criticised.
According to The Athletic, Rice did something quite remarkable before the 2023 Europa Conference League final.
Roshane Thomas claims that the 26-year-old Arsenal midfielder opted against doing a pre-match press conference because he knew talk surrounding his future would preclude West Ham’s achievement of reaching the final.
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That is a hugely honourable thing to do, and he really does deserve more credit for the way in which he handled his exit from the London Stadium just under two years ago.
Here’s what West Ham dressing room is like without Declan Rice
Kurt Zouma captained the side after Rice’s exit.
And then Jarrod Bowen was handed the skipper’s armband at the start of this season.
It has been claimed that the West Ham dressing room has been a very quiet place since Declan Rice left to join Arsenal.
Graham Potter has to add more leaders to his ranks this summer.
There is a real case to be made that the West Ham fans didn’t realise just how much of a blow it was losing Declan Rice, in spite of the £105 million the club received for him.
The 26-year-old loved the Hammers. He just needed to move away in order to fulfil his ambitions, and that’s fair enough isn’t it?