West Ham centre-back Kurt Zouma has delivered a brutal Declan Rice verdict following the England midfielder’s move to Arsenal.
Following his summer transfer to Arsenal, Declan Rice, according to Kurt Zouma, is not missed by West Ham. The French defender is adamant that David Moyes made wise financial decisions during the transfer window, which mitigated the impact of losing their former captain.
In July, Rice moved from West Ham to Arsenal after a protracted controversy. The 24-year-old was always available for sale, but only at a price that suited the Hammers’ management.
A club record fee of £100 million was paid by Arsenal, with an additional £5 million in performance-related add-ons. At the Emirates, he has made an immediate impact, starting each of his first eight Premier League and Champions League games.
He opened his Gunners account with a pivotal late goal in the victory over Manchester United in September. However, according to Zouma, West Ham has not been impacted by Rice’s departure because of the players they have added.
Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse, a midfield duo, were brought in for a total of almost £65 million. Mohammed Kudus, a winger, cost £38 million to sign from Ajax, and Konstantinos Mavropanos, a defender, cost somewhere around £19 million.
The team led by Moyes is now sixth in the Premier League with four victories in eight games. With two victories out of two, the Irons are also leading their Europa League group.
Declan Rice was a key player that we lost over the summer, according to Zouma. However, I believe the substitutions we made were quite wise, and we can tell that it had no impact on us.
“He is a wonderful player who produced some incredible performances here, and he will always be remembered here, but he is an adversary now. The players who have joined have bought into West Ham’s concept.
They rapidly adapted to the strategy and bought into it. They are assisting us in getting off to a strong season start. Everyone is aware of how we play.
“Last year was unusual because we brought in many new players at once who were unfamiliar with the Premier League. However, this year we have players that are highly familiar with the league, like James Ward-Prowse.
“Edson Alvarez is a player who you get the impression never stops moving, and this is the kind of player our team needs. The elite players we’ve brought in have benefited from our assistance and have adapted quickly.
