DAVID MOYES has vowed West Ham will put up a “big fight” to keep Declan Rice this summer.
The Hammers captain raised doubts over his future at the London Stadium during the recent World Cup.
West Ham boss David Moyes is determined to keep hold of star Declan Rice
Rice has ambitions to play in the Champions League
Rice, 23, laid out a clear ambition to play in the Champions League and win big trophies, adding that “you only have one career”.
Manager Moyes has previously slapped a £150MILLION price-tag on Rice and says any potential suitors — who include London rivals Chelsea — will not get an easy ride in trying to sign the midfielder.
The Scot said: “He wants to win and he wants to play for a really good side, which is going to give him that opportunity to do so.
“We hope that we can reach the Champions League — it is looking difficult at this moment in time but we are not just going to roll over and let Dec walk out of the building, that is for sure. It is going to be a big fight.”
England ace Rice was at Chelsea’s academy until the age of 14 when the Blues released him and he switched to West Ham.
Moyes added: “I like it because he wants to challenge himself and wants to play in the big games and wants to be a top player. I don’t think you are ever going to hold anyone back from having those ambitions.”
This time last year the Hammers were challenging for a Champions League place but they return to Premier League action against table-toppers Arsenal today in a very different place.
Moyes’ men are just one point above the relegation zone and while the former Manchester United manager insists he does not feel under pressure, he knows things need to change.
He said: “We have turned everything upside down to try and see what we can do better and improve.
“But if we were going to change then it means everything we’ve done for the last two years was wrong.
“Our attacking work is going to have to score us more goals. Defensively we’ve not been too bad in the main but our attack is where we’ve been falling down.”
Hitting the back of the net has been West Ham’s biggest issue this season, but Moyes will not have a huge budget to go and add in the January window.
Moyes has more attacking issues for the trip across London to face Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.
Both strikers Michail Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca are doubts, with the Italian rolling his ankle during a friendly against Fulham earlier this month.
Meanwhile at the back, Kurt Zouma is still recovering from knee surgery while Nayef Aguerd, who himself picked up an injury at the World Cup, only returned to West Ham on Christmas Eve.
