Nuno wants to sign a star with shades of Rice for West Ham

West Ham United have had mixed luck when it comes to recruitment over the last few years.

On the one hand, the Hammers appear to have finally found the right manager in Nuno Espírito Santo and some real talent in players like Mateus Fernandes and Callum Wilson.

However, the East Londoners have also made their fair share of poor signings and haven’t really ever found a proper Declan Rice replacement.

Fortunately, that might soon change, with reports linking the club with a Rice-like international.

West Ham target Rice-like star

During his years in East London, Rice made 245 appearances for West Ham, scoring 15 goals and providing 13 assists.

The Englishman’s role evolved from a purely defensive one into more of an all-action midfielder by the time he left for a whopping £105m.

Since then, while they have tried, it would be fair to say that the club have failed to find a suitable replacement, or one that has even come close for that matter.

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The good news is that the search for a Rice-like star could soon be coming to an end.

At least that is according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, which claims that West Ham are interested in Ruben Neves.

The report has revealed that Nuno would love to bring his former player to the London Stadium in January or the summer and has already asked the club to look into making a deal happen.

However, while the Portuguese star is open to a return to English football, he is also courting interest from the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United, who might be able to offer him a more attractive project.

In all, it could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Neves’ ability and especially with Nuno at the helm, West Ham should be fighting for him, as he could be the club’s next Rice.

How Neves compares to Rice

Now, it should be said that while Neves would represent an excellent signing for West Ham, and potentially be the long-awaited Rice replacement, it would be unfair to expect him to be just as good.

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The Englishman is a bona fide world-class player, and while the Portuguese star could certainly get there, he’d likely be just a half-step down in quality, which would still be a significant upgrade on what the club have today.

With all that said, what similarities do the players share then?

Well, first and foremost, like the former Hammers star, the Al Hilal monster is someone who can fulfil a few different roles in the middle of the park.

For example, his most-played position is defensive midfield, but he’s also played 75 club games in central midfield, showing he can be that all-action midfield destroyer if needed.

Second, the Santa Maria da Feira-born maestro is a brilliant set-piece taker, whether it’s free-kicks, corner-kicks or penalties.

For example, he has scored seven direct free-kicks and 18 penalties in his senior career, as well as a handful of absolute screamers.

Moreover, like Rice during his days in East London, the 63-capped international perhaps didn’t get the appreciation he deserved in England because he didn’t play for a ‘big six’ side, which is why analyst Raj Chohan once labelled him “the most underrated player in world football.”

Finally, on top of everything else, FBref also ranked Neves as the seventh most similar midfielder to Rice in the Premier League for the 22/23 season.

This conclusion was reached because the two ranked closely across several metrics, such as non-penalty expected goals plus assists, progressive and key passes, tackles plus interceptions, carries, and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, it might be a difficult deal to get done, but West Ham should be doing all they can to sign Neves in 2026, as he’s an exceptional player and could be the Rice replacement they’ve needed for almost three years.

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