How Declan Rice could fare at Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea or Newcastle - according to FM2023

Declan Rice’s future is likely to be one of the stories of the summer transfer window with the England midfielder reportedly in line for a big money move away from West Ham United.

The Hammers star said to be attracting interest from several Premier League clubs - so 3AddedMinutes has utilised the services of Football Manager 2023 to assess how he may fare should he complete a summer switch away from the London Stadium.

Chelsea

Settling into midfield alongside World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez and Mason Mount, Rice became an integral figure as he provided a shield to a vulnerable defence.

Losing just one of their opening 11 games in all competitions, the Blues looked set to enjoyed a successful season on four separate fronts, only to lose their focus after Christmas in a disastrous run of form that ruined any hope of silverware.

A 2-1 home defeat against Manchester United ended their Carabao Cup run at the quarter-final stage and a shock round-of-16 defeat against Sevilla ended hopes of securing another Champions League trophy. Manchester City brought a close to an FA Cup run with a 2-1 win in the semi-final and Liverpool took full advantage of Chelsea’s run of six defeats in their last 11 games to claim the Premier League title and leave the Blues in second.

A return of three goals and nine assists in 38 appearances in all competitions was a promising return from Rice in his first season in the senior setup at Stamford Bridge - but the lack of silverware will sting him and new manager Luis Enrique.

Manchester City

Despite being used as a holding midfielder at West Ham, Rice was used in a box-to-box role at City, playing alongside Kevin de Bruyne, with Rodri playing in a more defensive role in the middle of the park.

That set up did not translate into Premier League success, with Pep Guardiola’s side ending the season in third place, 11 points behind champions Liverpool and five behind second placed Arsenal. Paris Saint-Germain ended hope of a Champions League win with a 3-2 aggregate win over City in the round-of-16 and the Carabao Cup run ended with a semi-final loss against Chelsea.

But there was silverware for Rice in his first season at City as he played the entire 90 minutes - and was booked - in a 2-0 FA Cup Final win against Everton. That rounded off a season that consisted of three goals and four assists for the England midfielder.

Manchester United

Of all of these potential moves, joining the Red Devils proved to be the most unsuccessful switch for Rice. Erik ten Hag’s side laboured to a seventh place finish and qualified for the Europa Conference League as the England midfielder was partnered with Casemiro in the heart of midfield.

Despite going on to score two goals and provide five assists, suffering a 2-1 defeat on his first return to West Ham in the third game of the season set the tone for an inconsistent campaign from Rice’s new side. Success was limited to a 2-1 derby win at Manchester City - but Pep’s men inflicted revenge by sending their cross-city rivals out of the Carabao Cup in the quarter-final and FA Cup in the semi-final.

That left the Europa League as United’s final hope of silverware but a two-legged semi-final defeat against Lazio brought a rather underwhelming end to Rice’s first season at Old Trafford.

Arsenal

To suggest Rice’s move to Arsenal was a disaster may well be overblowing it but there are no doubts the decision to move to the Emirates Stadium did not work out quite how he envisaged. Selected alongside Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard in what seems a very impressive midfield trio, Rice took until his fifth game to claim a win as his new side romped to a 4-0 home victory against Leeds United.

But faltering league form, a Carabao Cup fourth round exit at the hands of Bournemouth and a shock FA Cup third round defeat against Wigan Athletic saw Mikel Arteta sacked and replaced by club legend Patrick Vieira.

His impact was minimal as a Europa League run came to an end with a 4-1 aggregate defeat against PSG in the quarter-final and the Gunners limped to Europa Conference League qualification by ending the season in seventh place in the Premier League. Two goals, six assists and an average rating of 7.2 was a solid return for Rice, even though he was unable to inspire his side to any notable success.

Newcastle United

Settling into what felt like a well-balanced midfield with Brazil star Bruno Guimaraes and academy graduate Sean Longstaff, Rice was a model of consistency for the Magpies.

Ending the season with an average rating just under 7.5, the England star netted four goals but provided no assists in 35 appearances in all competitions. Despite his form, Eddie Howe’s side were unable to land any sliverware as a 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa ended their Carabao Cup run in the quarter-final and Rice’s former club West Ham brought a close to their efforts in the FA Cup with a 3-2 win at the London Stadium.

Newcastle may well have pushed into the top four, had it not been for a run of just one win in their last seven games that left them five points shy of the Champions League places.

West Ham United

Snubbing moves elsewhere resulted in…well…pretty much nothing for Rice.

West Ham’s season in the Football Manager world was slightly more impressive than the one they have embarked on in real life. Rice remained integral in David Moyes’ side prior to his departure in December and remained a key part of Brendan Rodgers’ side when the former Leicester City manager stepped into the role vacated by the Scot. There were early domestic cup exits as Liverpool inflicted a 3-0 defeat in a fourth round tie in the Carabao Cup and Bournemouth ended interest in the FA Cup with a 1-0 win in a fourth round tie at the London Stadium.

Any thoughts of silverware ended with a 4-2 aggregate loss in the quarter-final of the Europa Conference League, leaving the Hammers to focus on an ultimately unsuccessful battle to return to the same competition as they ended the season in eighth place in the league.