West Ham legend Tony Cottee claims the club should be offering Declan Rice a new contract or could risk losing their prized asset for free.
West Ham should be doing all that can to offer Declan Rice a new contract to keep him at the club, says Tony Cotte.
With the January window in full swing, talks of a move to Stamford Bridge have resurfaced once again.
Having gone through the Blues academy system, it would be normal to think that Rice still has a ‘soft spot’ for Chelsea.
So far, West Ham have reiterated their desire to keep the 21-year-old at the club. However, a big-money offer could force the Hammers to reconsider that decision.
Having signed a contract extension in 2018, Rice still has four years on his current West Ham contract. Regardless, club legend Tony Cotte wants the club to build the club around the youngster and perhaps tie him down to a longer contract.
Cotte explains that failure to do this could see the 21-year-old decide to run the length of his contract and possibly leave the club on a free transfer.
Hammers legend Cottee told The Sun: “As far as I’m concerned the only two signings to be bothered about are David Moyes and Declan.”
“I’m pretty sure that even now, with his elevated status, Dec will not be earning the same kind of money as the top men in the squad.”
“But he’s their most valuable player and in time will become the next captain after Mark Noble.”
“I know he signed a five-year deal not so long ago but get him tied down and up there with the bigger earners and make him a bedrock of the future team.”
“We all know other teams are interested. West Ham should be acting to secure Declan, so he is not allowed to drift into the last two years of his contract and possibly leave on a free transfer.”
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