{"id":5050,"date":"2026-05-06T21:06:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=5050"},"modified":"2026-05-06T21:06:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T21:06:16","slug":"shame-on-you-chelsea-as-declan-rices-comment-cuts-deep-after-arsenal-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=5050","title":{"rendered":"Shame on you Chelsea as Declan Rice&#8217;s comment cuts deep after Arsenal win"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"post-366691\">\n<div class=\"article-follow\">\n<div class=\"article-sharing google-follow\">  <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/wp-content\/themes\/grv-media\/img\/google-discover.svg\" alt=\"\"\/> <span>Add as preferred source on Google<\/span>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Declan Rice\u2019s post-match admission following Arsenal\u2019s victory over Atletico Madrid highlights a regrettable decision Chelsea made all those years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Declan Rice\u2019s journey to becoming one of the world\u2019s best midfielders began with a difficult setback. A product of the Chelsea academy, Rice was released by the club at just 14 years old, a decision that proved to be a significant misstep for the Blues. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-grvmedia-grv-video GRVMultiVideo\"\/>\n<p>Rice moved to West Ham United, where he quickly blossomed, making his senior debut at 18 and eventually captaining the side. His growth at the London Stadium was immense, culminating in him leading the Hammers to the UEFA Europa Conference League title in 2023. <\/p>\n<p>This success propelled him to a record-breaking move to Arsenal that summer. And at the Emirates, Rice has become the heartbeat of Mikel Arteta\u2019s setup, as well as an indispensable figure for England.<\/p>\n<section class=\"grv-talking-point\" data-trigger=\"vue-sidebar\" data-story-id=\"aa3e75e3-a6d8-452a-8718-52e5ba5ce569\" data-story-name=\"Academy\" data-comment-id=\"c1d1756c-759a-4e70-a6b8-6967e072a578\" data-story-slug=\"academy\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__inner\">\n<header class=\"grv-talking-point__header\">  <\/header>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__content\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__cta\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-wrap\">\n<p><h3 class=\"grv-talking-point__title\">Is there anyone we are missing?\ud83e\udd14<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/split-of-four-graphic-819x1024.png\" alt=\"Chelsea's biggest ever academy mistake\" class=\"wp-image-366695\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/split-of-four-graphic-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/split-of-four-graphic-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/split-of-four-graphic-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/split-of-four-graphic-912x1140.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/split-of-four-graphic-600x750.png 600w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/split-of-four-graphic.png 1080w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"(Photo by Charlie Crowhurst - UEFA\/UEFA via Getty Images), (Photo by Visionhaus\/Getty Images), (Photo by Stuart Franklin - UEFA\/UEFA via Getty Images), (Photo by Michael Regan\/Getty Images)\">Photo by Michael Regan\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-declan-rice-brings-up-the-chelsea-rejection-again\">Declan Rice brings up the Chelsea rejection again <\/h2>\n<p>Speaking on Amazon Prime after Arsenal reached the final of the Champions League with a 2-1 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid, Declan Rice mentioned the fact that Chelsea once rejected him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout West Ham, there\u2019s no me, and I genuinely believe that. They gave me a chance when Chelsea didn\u2019t and a lot of people there really did push me on. Moyes, Slaven Bilic, Pellegrini made me captain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This adds to a long list of players that Chelsea have had in the academy and gone on to achieve better things, which includes Lewis Hall, Marc Guehi, Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Rio Ngumoha.<\/p>\n<section class=\"grv-talking-point\" data-trigger=\"vue-sidebar\" data-story-id=\"74909401-8595-4074-9a62-89a4ab9cee30\" data-story-name=\"New Chelsea Manager\" data-comment-id=\"0ed2be61-117d-43af-b806-2e815be7ba7c\" data-story-slug=\"new-chelsea-manager\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__inner\">\n<header class=\"grv-talking-point__header\">  <\/header>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__content\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__cta\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-wrap\">\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__title-content\">\n<h3 class=\"grv-talking-point__title\">Xavi\u2019s win rate is impressive \u2013 would you take him at Chelsea?<\/h3>\n<p class=\"grv-talking-point__subtitle\">He&#8217;s won 156 of 244 games.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grv-talking-point__embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/stand-out-number-3-819x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-366667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/stand-out-number-3-819x1024.png 819w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/stand-out-number-3-240x300.png 240w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/stand-out-number-3-768x960.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/stand-out-number-3-912x1140.png 912w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/stand-out-number-3-600x750.png 600w, https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/05\/stand-out-number-3.png 1080w\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-declan-rice-would-transform-chelsea-s-midfield\">Declan Rice would transform Chelsea\u2019s midfield<\/h2>\n<p>Declan Rice has evolved into the exact type of leader Chelsea currently lacks. At Arsenal, his presence provides that stability, acting as a defensive anchor who dictates the tempo and maintains composure during high-pressure moments. <\/p>\n<p>His ability to guide teammates, recover from setbacks with accountability, and set professional standards has been instrumental in the Gunners\u2019 title ambitions. <\/p>\n<p>In contrast, Chelsea\u2019s current squad, defined by its youth and structural instability, lacks those authoritative voices to manage chaos on the pitch. <\/p>\n<div class=\"see-more-wrapper lazy see-more-open see-more-blank extra-content\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.thechelseachronicle.com\/news\/shame-on-you-chelsea-as-declan-rices-comment-cuts-deep-after-arsenal-win\/none\" data-type=\"subscribe\">\n<div class=\"see-more subscribe\">\n<figure class=\"newsletter\">\n<div><svg class=\"loading\" width=\"118\" height=\"36\" viewbox=\"0 0 118 36\"><use href=\"#dots-svg\"\/><\/svg><\/p>\n<div class=\"signup\"><span class=\"hf\">Join Our Newsletter<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script>grvLoadAnalytics = () => {(function(d,s,i){var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0),j=d.createElement(s);j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtag\/js?id=\"+i;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(document,'script','G-E7VRWQHDP6');(function(d,s,i){if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){var e=d.createElement(s);var n=d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0);e.type=\"text\/javascript\";e.async=true;e.src=\"https:\/\/static.chartbeat.com\/js\/chartbeat.js\";n.parentNode.insertBefore(e,n);}})(document,\"script\",\"G-E7VRWQHDP6\");(function(){let s=document.createElement(\"script\");s.async=true;s.dataset.domain=\"thechelseachronicle.com\/MFj4XQ\";s.src=\"https:\/\/api.publytics.net\/js\/script.manual.ping.min.js\";document.getElementsByTagName(\"head\")(0).appendChild(s);})();if(!\/callback=in\/.test(window.location.search)){setTimeout(function(){!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');fbq('init','663509325503632');fbq('track','PageView');fbq('track','ViewContent',{content_name:'Shame on you Chelsea as Declan Rice&#8217;s comment cuts deep after Arsenal win',content_category:'News',content_ids:(366691,\"declan-rice\"),content_type:'post',});},3000);}}<\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add as preferred source on Google Declan Rice\u2019s post-match admission following Arsenal\u2019s victory over Atletico&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}