da poker： After years of speculation, the midfielder finally looks likely to depart West Ham this summer, with Arsenal now in pole position

da dobrowin： Declan Rice cemented his West Ham legacy by helping his boyhood team lift the Europa Conference League against Fiorentina in early June, but it now seems inevitable that that victorious night in Prague will prove to the midfielder's final appearance for the Irons.

Rice has just one year left to run on the contract he signed back in 2018 and now looks all but certain to move on this summer – despite the club's attempt to tie him down to a new eight-year deal. Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United were all mooted as possible destinations, but in the end, the bidding war has come down to Manchester City and Arsenal.

In a reversal of last season's Premier League title race, it is the Gunners who look set to come out on top. Their third bid, lodged on Tuesday evening, is an initial £100 million ($127m) plus £5m in add-ons, and City have made it clear that they are unwilling to match it, leaving the runway clear for Arsenal to get the deal done.

Eyebrows have been raised at that price tag, so is Rice really a player worth spending a nine-figure fee on?

Getty Images'A £100m player'

It's hard not to feel bad for David Moyes. Over the past few seasons, he's had to field questions about Rice's future with alarming regularity. Moyes has been consistent when quizzed about Rice's astronomical price tag, though. It's £100m+ or nothing for the Hammers. Most recently, when asked if the midfielder was worth that much he replied, quite simply: "Yeah."

He added: "I think I've said everything there is to say about Declan. He's a really important player for West Ham, he's someone who we value greatly and you can see what he means to the team. He's a really good individual and we're enjoying having him."

Just a few days earlier Moyes had claimed that Rice's eventual transfer fee would easily eclipse the British-record £106m Chelsea spent on Enzo Fernandez back in January. "Undoubtedly Declan is going to be a top player. He'll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham," he said. "There's a lot of talk about it and when you see what's going about for the prices, I think Dec will be blowing that out of the water, that's for sure, when it comes around."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesIt's probably time for Rice to go

As much as Moyes would love his skipper to stick around, all of the signs have been pointing towards Rice moving on this summer. The West Ham boss admitted as much in May, telling reporters: "We hope Dec stays. We would love him to be a West Ham player but we are aware that might not be the case. That is one of the scenarios. Our plans are to have Dec here but we are also fully aware there is a good chance that we won't have him."

Sporting director Mark Noble echoed these sentiments in February. "Dec is no different. Dec will always be hailed at West Ham as a fantastic player and such a top, top person. But I don’t think anyone begrudges him wanting to go and win things," he said.

And Rice himself has confessed that he wants to fight for the big trophies. "One hundred percent I want to play in the Champions League. For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that. I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in."

Getty ImagesNot everyone is convinced

Of course, Rice is not universally appreciated for his talents. News that West Ham would be holding out for £120m this summer was greeted with widespread bemusement by fans and pundits alike. Even managers got in on the act.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank suggested that Ivan Toney would be worth more than Rice in the current market last month, while Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva also questioned his price tag. "Normally you see this sort of price for strikers, not central midfielders. It feels quite high, even though there is no doubting the quality of the player, but it does feel like a very high price," he said.

Supporters outside of the West Ham bubble have similar doubts about Rice. This is potentially a product of the role he plays. He is vital to the team but his performances are not in-your-face brilliant if you don't know what you're looking for.

Getty/GOAL composite Plays a vitally important role

So, what is Rice's role? The catch-all term would be deep-lying playmaker, probably. During his time at West Ham and for England he's generally played in a double-pivot in a 4-2-3-1, or as the deepest player in a midfield three.

His principal responsibility out of possession is providing his defenders with an extra layer of protection. When his side has the ball, he's the first port of call when building attacks, either via his passing or ball-carrying abilities.

Players in this mould are very hard to find – that's why Arsenal are so eager to sign Rice on a long-term deal this summer. Man City took a long time to wean themselves off Fernandinho for good, with Rodri struggling to fill the void left by his absence at first. Elsewhere, Liverpool's lynchpin Fabinho was once described as a "lighthouse" for Jurgen Klopp's "organised chaos" by Pep Lijnders.

Casemiro, another player of this ilk, has been absolutely transformative for Manchester United this season and it is little surprise that Leeds' and Leicester's downfalls coincided with the sale of Kalvin Phillips and Wilfred Ndidi's loss of form, respectively.

Defensive midfielders tie the team together. They are the oil in the cogs and the bringers of stability. It's little wonder they're so hard to find.