Coach of West Ham, David Moyes, expressed his frustration over the prolonged transfer saga involving Declan Rice and Arsenal.
Moyes stated on Friday that he is unable to make any plans until the captain’s transfer is finalized.
A deal worth £105 million ($140 million) was agreed upon with Arsenal for the transfer of the English international midfielder ten days ago. However, Rice is still officially a West Ham player at the moment.
It is worth noting that Rice is not included in West Ham’s squad for their pre-season friendlies against Perth Glory and Tottenham Hotspur in Australia.
The Premier League season kicks off in a month.
“Until it’s done we can’t plan anything really,” Moyes told reporters in Perth ahead of West Ham’s friendly against Perth Glory on Saturday.
“Everybody knows the situation. We are expecting something to happen.”
Moyes remained coy over possible replacements for the influential Rice, who played a major part in West Ham’s Europa Conference League title win.
“I don’t think we can replace Declan exactly like for like, that is for sure,” he said.
“We will add to the squad. We won’t be giving any thoughts or any names or anything like that.”
With Rice and several other star players absent, West Ham boasts a youthful squad in Perth in the club’s first outing since their European triumph over Fiorentina.
“We’re still buzzing… there are fantastic memories that won’t fade away quickly.
But we’ve also moved on and preparing for the next round of games,” said Moyes, whose job was under threat last season with West Ham near the Premier League’s relegation zone.
“We don’t have all of our international players with us due to a late finish and international games so it’s a great opportunity for some young players and the players we have with us now.”