Chelsea Weighing Up An Offer For This English Midfielder: Is He A Good Fit For Tuchel? | OneFootball

Eurosport has recently reported that Chelsea are weighing up an offer for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer. It is understood that the Blues are showing interest in securing the services of the England international, who is also keen on making a switch to Stamford Bridge in this off-season (via Eurosport).

Rice’s Impressive Run Of Form At The English Capital Last Season

Rice experienced another solid campaign at West Ham as he continued to impress as a prominent feature at the heart of David Moyes’ midfield. The London-born midfield ace made 35 appearances for the Hammers last season, registering two goals, one assist and two yellow cards in all competitions.

The 22-year-old gave a good account of himself for the East London outfit at the centre of the park after he averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 1.1 clearances, 0.8 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game in the 2020-21 Premier League season. Rice even distributed possession relatively well from midfield, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 88% in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).

The way the West Ham sensation has been playing over the past couple of seasons, it is no surprise that the reigning European champions are eyeing a move to bring him to Stamford Bridge before the start of the new season.

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Is Rice A Good Fit For The Blues This Summer?

Rice is a tough-tackling defensive midfielder who can get stuck in with a few well-timed challenges to earn the ball back for his team. He can sense the danger quickly and doesn’t take too many chances with his clearances at the back.

The 24-time England international can even pass the ball accurately from midfield and is proficient at creating some decent plays for others around him. However, his offensive numbers have been far from convincing, so Rice should think about being more decisive in the final third.

Rice is currently playing at a high level and would be an exciting new addition to Tuchel’s match-day squad ahead of the new campaign. He is already good enough to nail down a regular first-team place at Stamford Bridge and could even serve as a perfect long-term successor to N’Golo Kante who is entering the last stage of his playing career.

Rice ticks all the right boxes in terms of what is required to be a world-class midfielder someday. Thus, the Three Lions star would be a good fit for Tuchel’s style as he might help them challenge for the Premier League title once again next season.