Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton has given praise to the club for moving forward after the sale of Declan Rice this summer.

It has been a period of significant change in east London, with our Hammers seeing the departure of club captain and Academy graduate Rice to London rivals Arsenal.

Despite the significance of the sale, West Ham have managed the situation well by recruiting Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse to the midfield, which arguably has strengthened the side overall – which in turn has been demonstrated by the very positive start to the Premier League season.

West Ham currently occupy 4th spot in the league table and are unbeaten after 4 matches played, with Ashton stating that the Rice sale couldn’t have worked out any better for all parties concerned.

“He was more than happy to be at the club.” said the former England striker, as reported by Tribal Football. “You never had the feeling that he didn’t want to be there.

“But you also get that he is an ambitious young man who wants to win things and test himself at the highest level. He has been fortunate to be in that position where it has worked out perfectly for him. I think he’ll get one of the best receptions any former player has received.”

Ashton also feels that the club have moved forward from the Rice sale well and that the Europa Conference League trophy win has helped push West Ham forward, which is attracting top players to east London.

“I was lucky enough to be there for the final as I was working in Prague,” added Ashton. “You could sense how big it was. I knew as a player how big West Ham was. You could sense it everywhere you went in the world and again, I got that feeling in the Summer, building up to the final, about just how much it meant for that club to win something.

“It was so refreshing to watch them win it in a dramatic way. I hope it now elevates them and makes other players look at the club and say, ‘yeah I want to play for that club’.”

Dean Ashton will be our guest at the next Pre-Match Event prior to our home fixture against Manchester City, with tickets no almost sold out!

‘Mad Dog’ Martin Allen is to host the special event – which also includes a FREE BAR for the entire duration. So if you haven’t done yet then BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE.

We stress that only a limited number of tickets remain so please do book fast to secure your place. We look forward to seeing you there!