Liverpool’s legendary former captain Steven Gerrard has been left to wonder “what could have been” when wistfully reflecting on Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal rather than Merseyside in 2023.
The former West Ham United midfielder was a wanted man that summer. Fresh from becoming the first Hammers skipper since Bobby Moore to lift a European trophy with the east London outfit, Rice was keenly sought after by a host of Premier League clubs.
Manchester City appeared to be leading the race for much of the summer before pulling out once West Ham demanded in excess of £90 million ($121.5 million). This sum also proved to be too steep for Liverpool, who were embarking upon a midfield rebuild that year following departures for Fabinho and Jordan Henderson. While Arsenal eventually splashed £105 million on Rice, the Reds would spread around £155 million across Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.
That triumvirate underpinned Liverpool’s Premier League title charge last season while Rice—for the second time in succession—finished as runner-up with Arsenal. Nevertheless, Gerrard still appears to be disappointed that his fellow midfield all-rounder doesn’t call Anfield home.
“I think he’s really getting into that class where he’s becoming a world-class midfielder,” the iconic Merseyside icon gushed during a recent appearance on The Smith Brothers podcast.
“He’s maybe one we should’ve tried to grab from West Ham, I don’t know whether we did but imagine him in this midfield now.”
This affection will be no news to Rice. Earlier this season, the England international revealed that Gerrard was among the list of legendary compatriots to have reached out to him.
“I think [David] Beckham messaged me, but I had that many messages,” Rice told TNT Sports in September, specifically referencing his free-kick heroics against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. “Old England legends, all of them, like Frank Lampard, Gerrard, so many people.”
Gerrard: Rice is the Prototype Midfielder
For many, Gerrard was the archetypal English midfielder. Rampaging across every blade of grass available during a legendary career for Liverpool, the former Champions League winner was the epitome of “box-to-box.” There is plenty of his old self which Gerrard sees in Rice.
“I love Declan Rice,” he raved, “I’ve been singing his praises for a long time. I coached [Aston] Villa against West Ham before he went to Arsenal, I didn’t realise how big he was because hadn’t met him in person.
“You get in the tunnel and think, ‘Oh my god, that’s some profile for a midfielder.’ If you’re building a midfielder, he’s got a body to die for, if you’re 6'1", 6'2", and have the legs, the power, that’s the midfielder you want to be. He was calm in possession, an animal out of it, up and down, I really like him as a person as well.”
That level of effusive praise is echoed wholeheartedly by Rice’s current teammates and manager, with Martin Ødegaard recently hailing the midfielder’s versatility as a key factor behind Arsenal’s continued title charge.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steven Gerrard Laments Arsenal Transfer Swoop Over Liverpool.
