Rafa Benitez is reportedly one of the favourites to take over at the London Stadium should West Ham sack David Moyes and the Spaniard could get Declan Rice back to his best.
Could West Ham appoint Benitez?
Moyes was able to save his job when the Hammers thrashed Nottingham Forest 4-0 at the London Stadium two weeks ago, with The Times having suggested that a loss against their relegation rivals would have sealed the Scottish manager’s fate.
However, his side have followed that up with disappointing away defeats against Manchester United and Brighton, with their 4-0 reverse last weekend emphasising how far the Hammers have fallen since last season.
The Daily Mail have been suggesting for some time that former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle United boss Benitez would be willing to take over at the London Stadium should Moyes face the sack.
The experienced 62-year-old even turned down Leeds’ approach last month which suggests that he has his heart set on the Hammers, although they may need to act quickly, as it would not be a surprise to see another side turn to Benitez as we approach the denouement of the Premier League season.
West Ham face AEK Larnaca and Aston Villa this week and poor results in those fixtures will surely see Moyes out of a job, and if Benitez were to arrive as his replacement, he will aim to revive Rice’s form, in the hope that he can be the catalyst in the Hammers’ survival bid.
Could Benitez revive Declan Rice?
After some phenomenal performances last season, which saw him average a superb 7.10 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League and earn a spot in the Europa League team of the tournament, it was hoped that Rice could go from strength to strength as West Ham’s captain in what is likely to be his final campaign at the club.
Although he is still ranked as West Ham’s top performer in the Premier League this term, his WhoScored rating has dropped to 6.94, while he has also averaged fewer tackles, interceptions and blocks per game.
Roy Keane didn’t hold back in his criticism of the England international ahead of West Ham’s defeat against Manchester United last week.
He said: “He’s got to focus on doing well for West Ham this season. I don’t think he’s been that great this season. He’s not really kicked on for all the talk about him and all the PR coming out of West Ham about him… I think he needs to do a lot more.”
Benitez has won a vast array of honours during his spells in England and Spain, with former Newcastle man Jesus Gamez labelling him “world-class”, and he has helped develop some of the best central midfielders of a generation, with Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano all making more than 100 appearances under the Spaniard at Liverpool.
Although Rice looks destined to leave this summer, West Ham need him at his best if they are going to stave off a relegation fight this season, and Benitez looks like the ideal man to reinvigorate him should Moyes finally be sacked.
