Ruud Gullit urges West Ham star to leave the club in shocking interview

Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit has gave his opinion on a West Ham star and has urged him to leave the club!

In an interview with Daily Express, AC Milan and Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit said that Declan Rice should leave the club, claiming that the England National Team would be “more successful” if all players played for big clubs.

Declan Rice has been linked with a move away from the Hammers for years now, primarily to Chelsea, where he played at youth level. The 23 year old’s contract runs out in the summer of 2024, and reliable West Ham news insider ExWHUEmployee has stated that West Ham are “willing to listen to offers” for him in the summer of 2023. West Ham are certainly underachieving in the Premier League right now, as they currently sit 16th in the table. Rice is an ambitious player and has tried to stay committed to the West Ham project, but with the club currently sitting as low as they are, it’s understandable that he would like to be playing Champions League football instead.

In the interview with Daily Express, Gullit said that:

“England has been prematurely eliminated at this tournament despite a wonderful performance against France. They played really well but again they could not survive. With the Premier League, England has the most beautiful and biggest league in the world, but the five biggest clubs do not have English internationals playing in the most crucial positions. This is killing the national team – there should be England players there, as they then get used to winning big trophies all the time. You win more with the bigger clubs.”

He also then went on to name 5 players who are either not playing at a high level or not playing frequently enough, including Jordan Pickford (Everton), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City) and Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) alongside Declan Rice.

Since becoming a staple of the England side in March 2019, Declan Rice has 39 caps for the national side, scoring 2 goals along the way. He also played a huge role in England’s EURO 2020 campaign, in which they reached the final - England’s first final since 1966 (not to mention a great World Cup campaign too). The likelihood is that Declan Rice will leave West Ham in the near future in the pursuit of trophies, and every West Ham fan can understand his ambition.

What are your thoughts on Gullit’s comments? Let me know in the comments!