No favours — Rice ready to send former club West Ham into relegation

Declan Rice may be a West Ham fan at heart, but his allegiance to the Hammers will play no part in his thoughts this weekend.

Despite his deep affection for the East London club that gave him his breakthrough, Rice says his focus is solely on helping Arsenal secure the Premier League title.

Speaking after Arsenal’s Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid, the England international expressed gratitude to the Hammers but insisted he will be fully committed to beating them on Sunday.

“That club gave me everything, without West Ham there’s no me,” Rice told Prime Video.

"I honestly believe that. They gave me a chance when Chelsea didn’t. A lot of people there really pushed me on, so it’s not nice to see the position they’re in.

“But it’s football, and I’ve got a job to do on Sunday. We’re trying to win a Premier League title, we want to win every game, and I’m sure they will want to as well, so let the best team win.”

Arsenal currently sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League, although Manchester City have a game in hand.

A victory against West Ham would take the Gunners another major step towards ending their long wait for a league title, before they turn their attention to the Champions League final.