Chelsea brought in a wealth of summer signings but were left wanting in their pursuit of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
Reported as a target by multiple sources, Rice was formerly part of the academy setup with the Blues and Frank Lampard is widely expected to go back in for the youngster in January.
A close friend of current Chelsea midfielder and fellow 21-year-old Mason Mount, Rice has told Sky Sports he wants to win trophies during his career, saying: “As a footballer, you only get one career and it goes by very quick. You want to be successful for club and country. I think it’s an important thing to win trophies.”
The 11-cap England international compared his situation to that of Harry Kane, a player who has succeeded on an individual level without winning any team silverware.
Rice believes his unglamorous role doesn’t lend itself to major interest but outlined his desire to improve, saying: “I’ve played midfield now for the last three seasons. I think people get carried away with kind of what they want me to do. My role is holding midfielder.”
He added: ”There isn’t really any flair in that. I can slot in at centre-half but I think I’ve got much more to give and I think my confidence is growing in midfield. I think the more I start to drive forward with the ball like I’ve been doing in recent games. If I can keep adding that into my game I can keep catching the eye.”
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With N’Golo Kante back firing on all cylinders, Jorginho in and out of the side, and Mateo Kovacic back to full fitness, the immediate need for Rice isn’t an obvious one.
However, with the ambition outlined by the youngster and with Lampard’s obvious fondness of the West Ham midfielder, it would be surprising if there wasn’t another concerted effort to bring Rice to Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old is undoubtedly talented and has quickly become an established presence for both club and country, so in the long term, the Chelsea midfield would be well patrolled having Rice and Mount reuniting.
Signing a player who is of such importance to a Premier League rival in January has never been an easy feat and it is likely any deal would come at even more of a premium rate, so the Blues may hold out until the summer and see how the land lies.
West Ham may need to secure European football, or win a trophy, in order to satisfy Rice’s ambition.
