Tottenham Hotspur coach Yaya Toure spent some time with West Ham midfielder Declan Rice recently joked to told the 23-year-old he should join Spurs in the future.
Toure spent eight years at Manchester City, making 316 appearances for the club (Transfermarkt). He won eight trophies in his time in Manchester, including three Premier League titles (Transfermarkt) and is considered a City legend in the modern era.
Having retired in January 2020, Toure is now treading his path as a coach and currently manages the Tottenham U16 team after joining the club in the summer.
In a recent feature for Goal, Toure was sent to surprise West Ham captain Declan Rice. The dynamic midfielder has cited Toure as his icon in the game, and the pair had a good chat about all things football.
Toure and his newfound affiliation with Tottenham did what anyone would do and tried to recruit Rice, urging him to leave West Ham and move across London to Spurs.
During the visit, Toure spots some Spurs shirts hanging on Rice’s wall, which prompts him to encourage the move. Toure says: “Harry Kane – Tottenham! You have to come and play at Tottenham and you have two (shirts) on there.”
Rice, naturally, doesn’t exactly jump at the offer, instead replying: “I know, Son, what a player.” The young England star laughs off the suggestion, which is probably a wise move given his ties to the Hammers.
Since breaking through at West Ham, Rice has made 215 appearances for the first team (Transfermarkt) and is widely considered one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League now. With his contract expiring in 2024, there will be more and more speculation linking Rice away from West Ham, but Spurs is an unlikely destination.
Spurs Web Opinion
I rate Declan Rice very highly and he has developed his game brilliantly over the last couple of years to improve his passing, his carrying of the ball, and general attacking threat. He would be a real asset for pretty much any club in the league, and while Spurs would probably be one of the last places he would want to go, we can only hope he listens to his idol.
(Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/WWFC via Getty Images)
