Declan Rice has told a West Ham United academy coach that he wants to return to the club before the end of his playing career.
Rice left east London for Arsenal in a £105million transfer in 2023 after captaining the Hammers to Europa Conference League glory, but his connection with his former club has clearly remained strong.
Long-serving West Ham academy coach Mark Phillips has now revealed that Rice regularly talks about eventually coming back.
Speaking in clips released by The Academy of Football Podcast, Phillips said Rice has more friends at West Ham than Arsenal and still keeps a close eye on his former club.
Declan Rice tells West Ham coach he wants return
Phillips has known Rice since his academy days and remains close to the England international.
“He’s got more friends at West Ham than he has at Arsenal, he grew up at West Ham,” Phillips said.
“He always says that to me that he thinks he will end up back at West Ham one day. He says it to me, he says: ‘I want to come back’.”
Phillips joked that West Ham would not want Rice back once he becomes too old, before admitting he would personally be happy to collect him for the journey back to east London.
The midfielder has never hidden what West Ham means to him.
Earlier this year, Rice said “without West Ham, there’s no me” when reflecting on the club’s role in his development. ReadWestHam covered those comments after Rice helped Arsenal reach the Champions League final.
Phillips has now offered an even more intriguing glimpse into his long-term thinking.
He also revealed that Rice describes himself as a West Ham supporter and regularly asks for updates on former coaches, staff and people he knew during his decade at the club.
A return is clearly not imminent. Rice remains a crucial player for Arsenal after helping Mikel Arteta’s side win the Premier League last season, and Phillips also said the midfielder has ambitions to experience football abroad during his career.
But West Ham supporters have long speculated about Rice finishing his career where it properly began.
According to one of the coaches who knows him best, Rice himself appears to have entertained exactly the same idea.
