Peter Crouch has claimed that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is showing signs of wanting a move away.
As transfer deadline day fast approaches, talk of a switch to London rivals Chelsea for the England international refuses to go away following an impressive start to the season.
However, Crouch was in attendance for the Hammers' 4-0 win over Wolves last weekend and made an observation about Rice that will excite supporters amid all the speculation.
"I know it's only one result against Wolves but they were so impressive, Crouch said on BT Sport. "The reason they were so impressive was the two midfielders. I thought they were the heartbeat of everything.
"I watched Declan Rice closely, because of the price-tag, with the rumours of him potentially going to Chelsea.
"But he didn't look like a man who wanted to move on.
"He was at the heart of everything.
"Defensively very sound, making tackles, the work-rate he got through, the intensity of his closing down was magnificent.
"And when he did sweep up, invariably his distribution was very good.
"He broke forward and set up attacks, he let the front three go and play."
In more potential good news for Hammers fans, recent reports claim Chelsea have identified an alternative to Rice as they try to land a defensive midfielder before the transfer window closes.
According to the Guardian, it's claimed that one option could be Thomas Partey, who has a £45m release clause in his contract at Atletico Madrid.
This would be a dream scenario for West Ham.
