Why Tuchel decided not to move for Rice last summer and if that could change

Declan Rice had a wonderful game against Chelsea as he made 11 ball recoveries during the game as well as three interceptions. He led both the team in these two metrics during the game.

As per The Telegraph, Thomas Tuchel is an admirer of Rice but decided not to go for him last summer due to the way he shapes his Chelsea team.

The German plays three at the back. Reportedly, he introduced this system to "hide Jorginho's weaknesses and play to the strengths of new signing Thiago Silva."

Tuchel decided that it was not the time to recruit someone like Rice, who is a physically gifted midfielder primarily operating on the defensive side of the game.

Reportedly, the manager's stance on signing Rice could change should he decide to revert to a back four next season.

This in turn will depend on whether or not the likes of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger will extend their deals. Chelsea are also interested in Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni.

Of course, it won't be easy to sign Rice even if Chelsea are interested as he still has over two years left on his West Ham deal and will be very expensive to bring here.

A move will also depend on whether or not the Hammers can maintain their top 4 spot and qualify for the Champions League next season.

Source: The Telegraph