Declan Rice told Arsenal snub for Man City a ‘no-brainer’ as midfielder urged to ‘be Joey Barton’ | OneFootball

Danny Murphy has told Declan Rice that moving to Manchester City over Arsenal is a “no-brainer as a football decision” and reckons the West Ham star may have to “be Joey Barton” to force his move this summer.

The Hammers are thought to be holding out for £100m for the England international after Arsenal have seen two bids rejected by their London rivals.

Murphy says Rice may have to “kick up” to force West Ham into accepting an offer for him.

He told talkSPORT: “As of now Man City aren’t in – my understanding is they have not committed yet and I’ve heard nothing about Bayern Munich – so Arsenal don’t have to rush.

“And it may get to a point where Declan has got a decision to make – has he got the courage to kick up to get out if he needs to?

“I know he’s not that type of lad but sometimes you have to be Craig Bellamy, Joey Barton – you’ve got to look after yourself.

“I only had it once in my career, but you have to be able to follow through.

“It means you have to make it perfectly clear, ‘If you keep me here I won’t be playing’, and even if you don’t really believe it long-term, you have to do it and make them believe.

“Is it a professional thing to do? It doesn’t matter. You’ve got to look after yourself.”

Reports suggest Rice’s preference is to join Arsenal despite claims Manchester City are lurking in the background, but Murphy believes “you’d pick City all day long” if the 24-year-old was making a “football decision”.

“The big question mark for Dec is if Man City do come in late, the choice over whether to leave London or not,” Murphy added.

“London is his home, it’s where he’s grown up, it’s where his family is, but as a football decision it would be a no-brainer to join the Premier League champions.

“If you had a choice between City and Arsenal, although Arsenal are on a great trajectory, you’d pick City all day long.”