Liverpool are currently enduring a sub-standard 2025-26 campaign, underlined by wasteful displays and lackadaisical performances. And, Reds legend Jamie Carragher has hinted that one Arsenal star could have solved the Merseyside outfit’s current issues.
Liverpool Told They Should Have Signed Arsenal Ace
During a recent conversation with The Athletic, Carragher asserted that Liverpool’s midfield lacks viable physical options to dominate proceedings at the centre of the park.
“Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister are really good, but (that means) two or three players who do not have great physicality in there. The one who stands out every time I watch him play is Declan Rice. What a player, honest to God. That’s exactly what Liverpool need,” the two-time Reds Player of the Season, who played as a centre-back, remarked.
Carragher continued to lavish praise on Gunners midfielder Declan Rice, likening him to ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane for his all-round dynamic style of play.
“For me, he is the modern-day Roy Keane. I don’t think he’s (like) Steven Gerrard, because Stevie was more attacking. Roy did a bit of everything: press high, get the ball off the back four, everything. Rice has the set pieces too. I actually don’t think we still give him enough praise. His passing is fantastic. No one can run past him,” the 48-year-old added.
The former Reds defender asserted that the Anfield team should have signed Rice ahead of the 2023-24 term, stopping him from joining Arsenal in a potential $144 million deal.
“Why Liverpool didn’t go for him (in 2023)… My argument was you buy one player (in Rice) to replace two, because he could do both the Fabinho role and also the (Jordan) Henderson one, pressing high. I’d have loved to have got him in a Reds shirt. For me, he’s the Premier League Player of the Year this year, especially if Arsenal win the league,” he said.
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Instead of signing Rice in 2023, the Merseyside club signed Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Wataru Endo for a joint fee of over $204 million.
Rice, on the other hand, is relishing a sensational season at Arsenal, dictating tempo in the middle of the park. The 27-year-old has found the back of the net four times and registered eight assists in 32 matches across all competitions for the Gunners this term.
Since departing West Ham United for a whopping fee, the 72-cap England international has contributed 20 goals and 28 assists in 135 total games for Mikel Arteta’s side.
