One area West Ham United have struggled in this season, even with the improvements made under Graham Potter, has been the construction of their midfield and lack of mobility in central areas.
Adjustments such as the pressing scheme and triggers under Potter have helped to cover those deficiencies, but this is clearly an area they should be prioritising in the summer.
Current midfield options include Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta, Carlos Soler, Guido Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse.
Since Ward-Prowse returned from his Nottingham Forest loan, Potter has favoured starting him alongside either Alvarez or Soucek, bringing more quality on the ball in those deeper areas for progression.
vladimir-coufal-james-ward-prowse-west-ham-opinion
However, his return has not helped add mobility in the middle of the park, something they have lacked since Declan Rice was sold to Arsenal back in the 2023/24 summer transfer window, for a whopping £105m.
Declan Rice's record at West Ham
Rice made 245 appearances for the Hammers first team in his ten years at the club, scoring 15 goals, providing 13 assists and totaling 20,580 minutes.
Other RICE
He also captained the side to their first European trophy since 1965 under David Moyes, winning the UEFA Conference League in the 2022/23 season, a campaign that would prove to be his last year with the club.
Towards the back end of his time at West Ham, Rice was lauded as a "monster on the pitch" by teammate Mark Noble, with the big-money move coming as no real shock.
Since Rice joined Arsenal, the club have been looking to replace his attributes in the middle of the park, signing a multitude of players, all of whom can offer different attributes, but all of whom have failed so far to replicate anything close to the performances Rice was delivering week after week.
Perhaps, the Hammers could well be regretting letting Rice 2.0 leave for a bargain price...
West Ham have already sold Rice 2.0
Moyes and co sold midfielder Josh Cullen to Anderlecht in 2020, for a fee of just £500k. The then 24-year-old became a key figure for the Belgian outfit, working under Vincent Kompany, who he then went on to work with once more at Burnley years later.
Josh Cullen (24/25) vs Declan Rice (22/23) comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)
Goals + Assists
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Pass Completion %
Passes into Final Third
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Tackles + Interceptions
Ball Recoveries
Aerial Duels Won
Stats taken from FBref
When comparing Cullen's underlying metrics from this season against Rice's underlying numbers from his last West Ham campaign, you can clearly see Rice ranks much higher in many metrics.
But the tenacity in midfield shown by ball recoveries, aerial duels won and tackles and interceptions is still there, and he would have eased the loss of Rice's on-ball progressive impact, as Cullen also thrives in this department.
Kompany described Cullen as the "ultimate player" praising his effort and labeling him as a shining example for his fellow professionals.
This is the exact sort of character West Ham could have used after losing Rice, not only replacing many attributes they lost when he walked out the door, but also bringing that sense of calm and leadership to the team.
cullen-burnley-premier-league-kompany-clarets-transfer-gossip-ruiz
Whilst it's hard to compare Cullen and Rice on talent alone, the hard-working culture they share in their respective midfield roles does draw comparisons, both willing to do the hard yards for their side, which is exactly what West Ham have been missing since Rice left the club.
mark-noble-west-ham-upton-park Related
[Mark Noble discussing cheap West Ham transfer to sign "sensational" forward](https://www.footballfancast.com/mark-noble-discussing-cheap-west-ham-transfer-to-sign-daniel-cummings/ "Mark Noble discussing cheap West Ham transfer to sign "sensational" forward")
West Ham could finalise a bargain deal ahead of next season.