Ex-West Ham hooligan reveals what Declan Rice told him about returning to club

Mark Phillips worked with Declan Rice in the Player Development Programme at West Ham, and said that he joked about returning to east London after chasing glory a stone's throw away with Arsenal

Former hooligan-turned-football coach, Mark Phillips, has revealed that Declan Rice joked about returning to West Ham United after signing for Arsenal.

The 26-year-old burst onto the scene with the Hammers in 2015 after being released by Chelsea in his youth, before making a big money move to north London in the summer of 2023 for a club-record fee of £105million. As a result of switching allegiance to his London rivals, Rice has received the occasional jeer from West Ham fans hurt by his exit.

Discussing why that is on the Eventful Lives podcast with Dodge Woodall, Phillips – who worked alongside Rice in the Player Development Programme at West Ham – said: "To me and you, West Ham... there's no bigger club in the world. There's no bigger club in the world and I truly believe that.

"He's left our club and gone to another club, so it's just for a little bit of that. A little bit of spite, a little bit of jealousy, a little bit everything else. But I'll defend him to the hill, and I would do, and his family. They're terrific people.

"I've even been to one Arsenal game and sat in his box, in a European game. And all he wants to know about when I see him, is what's happening at West Ham. 'What's happening?' It's all about [West Ham], you know."

Revealing that Rice still has a bit of a soft spot for the Hammers, Phillips added that he joked he may one day return to the club after his tenure with Arsenal comes to an end. Phillips added: "West Ham is his club. He said to me... he actually said, 'I'll come back when I'm...' I said, 'We won't want you.'"

After the pair chuckled, Phillips was then asked if he believes that Rice will actually return to West Ham in his twilight years, to which, he replied: "I can't say that for certain. If everything is right and it's aligned, yeah.

"I mean, he'd get stick for the first game, then he'll score a 30-yarder and everyone forgets their stick don't they?"

Rice has a contract with Arsenal which runs until 2028, having signed a five-year deal when he joined. It also has an option to extend by a further 12 months, which would see the England midfielder stay in north London until he was 30.

Since arriving at the Emirates Stadium two years ago, Rice has impressed under Mikel Arteta's stewardship, racking up 15 goals and 20 assists from a century of appearances.

However, he will face his toughest test to date when he faces PSG in the second leg of the semi-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday evening. After suffering a 1-0 loss on home soil, Rice – whose last game for West Ham saw him lift a European trophy in the form of the Europa Conference League in Prague as they beat Fiorentina 2-1 – will hope to help turn the tides at the Parc des Princes and stamp his ticket to a maiden Champions League final in red and white.

Phillips, with almost two decades of professional coaching under his belt, has been a part of West Ham's PDP for nine years. However, in the past, he was a part of the notorious Inter City Firm, regularly cheering the Hammers on from the terraces.

Speaking about his time with the ICF, he explained: "They love football, and they love West Ham more than anything. They really do. So it's like, 'Oh, these people don't know what they're doing...'

"They love the game, they follow West Ham everywhere, follow England everywhere. They love football more than most people do. It was their whole lives.

"The same with me, I just love the game of football, and that's how I got involved." He added: "Football has always been my main love, and still is now."