‘What does he actually do?’ - Man Utd legend tells Arsenal to stay away from €100m Rice

Tom Weber

• 28 Mar 2023 12:18 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United legend Andy Cole has expressed doubts about the quality of West Ham star Declan Rice.

Linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd, Declan Rice has been one of the hottest commodities in English football for several years.

The English holding midfielder has been ever-present in West Ham's side and is considered by many to be the Hammers' best player. Unsurprisingly, then, West Ham do not want to lose their talismanic midfielder, and they have slapped a price tag in excess of €100m on the 24-year-old to deter his suitors.

That, however, has not had the desired effect as Chelsea and Arsenal remain interested, and they are considered to be the favourites to land the West Ham star.

READ: Arsenal will try to get 'biggest signing since Sol Campbell' on the cheap

In a recent interview, Manchester United legend Andy Cole has admitted that he doesn't understand the hype surrounding Rice, and he explicitly told Arsenal to stay away from the midfielder.

What did Cole say?

Speaking to King Casino Bonus, the 51-year-old remarked: "Declan Rice has been inconsistent, and also what does he actually do?"

He then questioned whether the Gunners really need him: "Is Arsenal the right move? They already have Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, and Mohamed Elneny just signed a contract extension. Someone has to move on because Mikel Arteta won’t be able to keep everyone happy."

"Is Chelsea the right move? I’m not sure either," the five-time Premier League winner continued, "because they have just bought Enzo Fernandez and other midfielders. It will be interesting who he chooses. But the £100m price tag West Ham have put on him, I would not pay that."

READ: Bellingham taken to Liverpool by agent Henderson

Rice is out of contract in 2024, and Cole thinks a more suitable destination for him would be Merseyside. "If Liverpool are interested in Rice, then I’d be looking at that midfield if I was him because they need a rebuild. It looks like Liverpool plan to start all over again in the midfield, and also it’s not like they’re a bad team, they will bounce back next season."