Nuno wants to sign a star with shades of Rice for West Ham

West Ham United have had bad luck in recent years when it comes to reinforcements.

On the one hand, the Hammers appear to have finally found the right manager in Nuno Espirito Santo and genuinely talented players in Matheus Fernandes and Callum Wilson.

However, the East Londoners have also had their fair share of contract slumps and have not really been able to find a suitable replacement for Declan Rice.

Fortunately, that may change soon, with reports linking the club to international players like Rice.

Stars like Rice targeted by West Ham

During his time in East London, Rice made 245 appearances for West Ham, scoring 15 goals and providing 13 assists.

The Englishman’s role evolved from a purely defensive role to more of an all-action midfielder by the time he left for a whopping £105 million.

It would be no exaggeration to say that the club has continued to make efforts since then, but has not been able to find a suitable replacement, or someone close to it.

The good news is that the search for stars similar to Rice may soon come to an end.

At least that’s according to a recent report from TEAMtalk claiming that West Ham are interested in Ruben Neves.

The report claims Nuno wants to bring his former player to the London Stadium in January or the summer and has already asked the club to consider a deal.

However, while the Portuguese star is open to a return to English football, he is also attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United, who could offer him a more attractive project.

All in all, it could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Neves’ ability, especially with Nuno at the helm, West Ham should fight for him as he could be the club’s next Rice.

Comparison of Neves and Rice

Now, it must be said that while Neves is a great player for West Ham and could be the long-awaited replacement for Rice, it would be unfair to expect him to be as good as he is.

The Englishman is a bona fide world-class player and the Portuguese star could certainly get there, but while he would probably take a half-step down in quality, he would still be a huge upgrade over what the club has today.

That being said, what similarities do the players have?

Well, first and foremost, like the former Hammers star, the Al Hilal monster is someone who can play several different roles in the middle of the park.

For example, his most played position is defensive midfield, but he also made 75 appearances for the club in central midfield, showing that he can be an all-action midfield disruptor when needed.

Secondly, the Santa María da Feira-born maestro is brilliant at taking set pieces, including free kicks, corner kicks and penalty kicks.

For example, he has taken seven direct free kicks and 18 penalty kicks in his senior career, as well as some absolute screamers.

Furthermore, like Rice during his time in East London, the 63-cap international probably did not play for a ‘big six’ team in England, so he may not have received the recognition he deserved. That’s why analyst Raj Chauhan once called Rice “the most underrated player in world football.”

Finally, above all, FBref ranked Neves as the seventh most similar midfielder to Rice in the Premier League for the 22/23 season.

They came to this conclusion because the two ranked closely on criteria such as non-penalty expected goals and assists, progressive and key passes, tackles and interceptions, and carries, all on a 90-point scale.

In the end, West Ham should do everything in their power to sign Neves in 2026, although it may be difficult to get this deal done. He’s an exceptional player and could be the replacement for Rice, which they’ve needed for almost three years.