Pundit Robbie Earle didn’t like what he saw happen to one Arsenal player during the Gunners’ win over West Ham United.
Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0 to head into the international break with a one-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Several Gunners are now turning their attention from fighting for the Premier League title to qualifying for the World Cup as the October international break arrives.
Declan Rice is one of the Arsenal representatives on October international duty, joining up with the England squad after his superb performance against West Ham.
- READ MORE: Gary Neville says Chelsea have a player who is comfortably better than ‘top’ Arsenal star
West Ham fans slammed for treatment of Arsenal’s Declan Rice
If there was one player West Ham wouldn’t have wanted to score against them, it was Rice.
The midfielder made the move from the London Stadium to the Emirates in 2023, but it’s becoming clear that some Hammers fans still haven’t forgiven the Englishman.
At the Emirates, Rice was jeered by some parts of the away end when taking corners, prompting him to give a glance at the West Ham supporters after scoring his goal.
The reception that the 26-year-old got from some West Ham fans was a talking point on The 2 Robbies podcast, as Robbie Earle expressed how unfair the treatment was.
“I mean, he has been underappreciated, we’ve talked him up, Declan Rice,” Earle began.
“What I want to say about him, and it’s not necessarily his play, although that’s part of who he is in the goal. It was the situation at the weekend that I was a bit I was a bit peed off with the West Ham fans who were booing him.”
Earle went on to admit that, while he knows what it’s like when a player moves from one Premier League club to another, Rice acted more than professionally upon leaving West Ham.
“I know that happens, he was getting a lot of stick and I know that happens when you know an ex-player moves, but this is a guy who didn’t leave on a free for no money,” Earle said.
“He played his heart out. He wins the European trophy, he leaves for £100 million, and he goes to another football club. When he scores the goal, he doesn’t celebrate. He’s got respect for the club and the set of fans, and yet people still were booing him. It didn’t sit right with me.”
Rice speaks openly and passionately about his fondness for West Ham, whom he represented at academy level from the age of 14.
For that reason, and how he left the club, Earle found the reaction from West Ham fans rather uncomfortable.
West Ham will be sick of playing against Declan Rice
While, for the most part, Rice is still admired at West Ham, the Hammers will be glad that they don’t have to see the midfielder again until May, when the two clubs meet again.
Since leaving East London, Rice has racked up quite the record against his former club, adding to his tally on matchday seven.
Rice has contributed to four goals in only six appearances against West Ham, scoring twice and assisting twice.
What the England international will want to improve, however, is his win rate against his former club, winning only 50% of the clashes against the Irons so far.
Some West Ham fans are still coming to terms with Rice’s transfer, as was seen at the Emirates.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
