Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: West Ham, West Ham United, Declan Rice
Josh Lawless
A forgotten wonderkid who was viewed as better than Declan Rice at West Ham has not played a single minute of football this season.
Arsenal and England midfielder Rice has established himself as one of the best in the world in his position ever since moving to the Gunners in 2023 for a fee of £105 million.
But at one stage, Rice was playing as a centre-back in the youth set-up and was behind Reece Oxford, who was seen as the club's top talent. Rice was even said to be worried that he would be released for the second time after experiencing rejection at Chelsea.
Speaking to The Athletic, ex-West Ham trainee Lewis Page said: "I remember having a conversation with him after dinner. Dec wasn’t sure if he was going to get a scholarship with West Ham.
"He got released by Chelsea and he was worried it was going to happen again. I was always confident he was going to get one, but at the time the club weren’t sure what was Dec’s best position.
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“Reece was the main talent at centre-back and I’m not sure if the club thought Dec was good enough to play in midfield... But West Ham took the chance and it’s paid off."
Oxford was hailed as a huge prospect at West Ham and received comparisons to Rio Ferdinand, who came through the club's academy and became one of the best defenders in Premier League history.
He made his Premier League debut against Arsenal as a 16-year-old and helped the East London side to a 2-0 win at the Emirates.
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Able to play in defence and central midfield, Oxford had a loan spell with Reading before he embarked on a German adventure with Borussia Monchengladbach and Augsburg, who he signed for permanently in 2019.
He is still contracted to the club now but hasn't played a single game this season due to persistent muscle injuries which came as a result of long COVID.
In fact, his last appearance was in November 2022 because of the extreme fitness issues and he now has valued at just €500,000 by Transfer Markt.
The last known update on Oxford's situation came in July 2023 via Fox News.
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It read: "He dealt with thigh, knee, and COVID-related issues. The defender is now seeking specialist help in London during the off-season. There is no timeline for his return due to the variety of issues and how they are slowing his recovery."
Oxford has played 69 times for Augsburg and his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.