Is Declan Rice the right man to replace Jorginho at Chelsea?

Chelsea are looking towards West Ham’s Declan Rice to replace Jorginho and fix up their midfield, but is he the really the right man?

According to the latest rumours from Sky Sports, Frank Lampard and Chelsea are interested in bringing West Ham midfielder and England international Declan Rice to Stamford Bridge this summer, of course, depending on how the transfer window will operate due to COVID-19 skewing the football calendar immensely.

Chelsea have had problems at the base of midfield for the last 2 seasons with Jorginho playing in that position. Although the Italian international is certainly a good player, he tends to drown in big matches and lacks physicality in general. Now, it seems the Blues are ready to replace him, and who better than Declan Rice, who was once a part of Chelsea’s youth academy?

Rice is an excellent midfield player, and while normally young English players get overrated by fans and the media, Rice is a rare case of a genuinely underrated English player, who has the world at his feet.

When I think of what Chelsea needs at the base of midfield, I think of “a presence”. Someone who impacts the midfield physically, but also has the technical quality needed to keep the tempo in possession. Many think N’Golo Kante should be playing this role, but to me, he is far better as an interior #8.

Although Declan Rice is a good player, he does not fit the description of a physical presence at the base of midfield. That doesn’t mean Chelsea shouldn’t sign him though – after all, Frank Lampard and the scouts and analysts at Stamford Bridge know far better than you or I!

The Blues already have an extremely strong contingent of English players coming through, with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James, Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount, and Tammy Abraham being the headliners. Declan Rice would increase the quality of this group significantly, as Chelsea moves forward as a young team willing to give opportunities to youth prospects – a far cry from what they were just a couple of years ago.

Declan Rice is someone I can see being Chelsea’s midfield anchor for years to come, and with his history at the club at youth level, this transfer looks extremely possible.