With Mark Noble's contract up in the summer and The Athletic reporting no discussions have taken place, it does seem as if his storied time with West Ham United will soon be up. 

Given his connection with the club's fanbase built up over a 16-year career in East London, the club captain's potential exit is likely to be an emotional one and requires the right kind of management. 

Luckily for West Ham, they do appear to have a replacement. 

Indeed, Declan Rice has emerged as the club's on-field leader without Noble. 

The England international has been praised for his performances this season and leads the way in key metrics per game, such as interceptions (2.1, via WhoScored) and average passes (46.9), highlighting his importance in winning the ball back before recycling possession. 

Strongly linked with a move to Chelsea, The Athletic have provided an update on his likely immediate future with the Clarets. 

They claim that, while the Blues remain keen, any deal to bring him back to Stamford Bridge is unlikely in January and could wait until the summer. That is then relayed by David Ornstein, who suggests a move even after this season is far from a formality, with West Ham set to reject a big offer should it come in. 

GIVEMESPORT's Jonathan Gorrie says... 

To hear it's not a formality must be seriously exciting for West Ham fans. 

Rice has built up a connection with supporters, describing actually beating Chelsea as 'probably one of the best days' of his life back in 2019, and is an established England international with much of his career ahead of him. 

So, the idea of him potentially sticking around for the long-term should give everyone involved with the club a boost.