West Ham manager David Moyes has lamented the slow pace of Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal, saying on Friday he ‘can’t plan anything’ until the Hammers captain’s departure is finalised. A £105m ($140m) deal for the England international midfielder was agreed to with Arsenal ten days ago, but he is still officially a West Ham player for now.
Rice is not part of the group that traveled to Australia for pre-season friendlies against Perth Glory and Tottenham Hotspur as the new Premier League season kicks off in a month. “Until it’s concluded, we can’t really plan anything,” the former Everton and Manchester United manager told reporters in Perth on Saturday. “Everyone knows the situation. We are waiting for something to happen”.
Moyes has remained tight-lipped about possible replacements for the influential Rice, who played a major role in West Ham’s Europa Conference League win over Fiorentina. “I don’t think we can replace Declan as an identical, that’s for sure,” he said. “We are going to complete the squad. We will not give any ideas, names or anything like that,” the 60-year-old technician explained. With Rice and several other star players absent, West Ham will field a rejuvenated side in Perth for their first meeting since their European triumph.