West Ham will be kicking themselves over a rejected clause in the Declan Rice deal.

It felt like West Ham were constantly having to argue just how good Declan Rice was when he was wearing claret and blue. While it was to be expected, it is extremely irritating hearing how much he has improved since joining Arsenal – it’s simply not true.

Anyone who consistently watched West Ham knew he was one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and he has gone on to prove the doubters wrong since joining the Gunners. However, despite getting a hefty fee of £105 million for him, the Hammers may be left fuming that they turned down a clause that could have earned them even more money.

According to Sportbible, West Ham negotiated a deal that sees them get a bonus of £1 million every time Arsenal qualify for the Champions League up to a maximum of £5 million. Potentially to their dismay though, this was put in after they decided to turn down a clause about winning the Premier League.

Obviously, there is every chance that they don’t given that it is fully in Manchester City’s hands. It was deemed unlikely at the time, but Arsenal have been a real force this season. As much as it will pain the East London faithful to admit, they have probably played the best football this season and a lot of that is down to Declan Rice.