Former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Tim Sherwood has suggested that Manchester United should have signed Arsenal superstar Declan Rice from West Ham United in the summer transfer window, according to comments he made in a recent interview.
While Sherwood expressed doubts that United could have signed Harry Kane, he firmly believes that the Red Devils could have got their hands on Rice had they put forth a sustained effort to secure his services.
What did Tim Sherwood say regarding Declan Rice?
Speaking to the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Sherwood said: “I’m not sure Daniel Levy would’ve wanted to sell him there [Harry Kane to Manchester United]. If they wanted to bid £150 million I’m not sure he would’ve cut his nose off to spite his face. He would’ve done the deal.
“I don’t think they were there, Rasmus Hojlund was the main target, and he likes players he’s worked with before. They need more than just Harry Kane.
“I thought they had a decent season last year, a progression season, if they went ‘come on Declan [Rice], we’re having you, and we’re going to have Harry Kane’ they would’ve challenged for the title, but I think they have more problems than that and I’m not 100% sure on the manager.”
How would Arsenal have coped had they failed to sign Declan Rice?
In the event that Arsenal failed to seal a deal for Declan Rice, they would have been left with Thomas Partey and Jorginho as their options at defensive midfield – assuming they did not seek out an alternative transfer target.
The current Premier League landscape would likely look very different had Rice signed for United. Arsenal may have instead looked towards players such as Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia – of course, both of these players opted to sign for Chelsea instead.
It would have been a blow for the Gunners nonetheless. Rice has proven to be an excellent asset at Arsenal thus far – not only has he been excellent both defensively and in his progressive passing, he also scored the winning goal against – who else – Manchester United in their most recent encounter.
