Liverpool look unlikely to challenge Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table this season.
The Reds were the only team to finish ahead of Mikel Arteta’s side last term, clearing them by 10 points to win their 20th league title.
This time, Arsenal boast the same gap down to sixth-placed Liverpool with 21 matches left to play.
mail iconJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis.
Pick Liverpool’s front-three vs Wolves! 🔮Will Chiesa finally get a start? 😲
Dominik Szoboszlai during Liverpool FC v PSV Eindhoven - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5
Credit: Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
As he has been since arriving in 2023, Declan Rice has been pivotal to the Gunners’ good form, starting 16 of their 17 Premier League fixtures.
Liverpool were in the mix to sign Rice when he left West Ham for Arsenal two-and-a-half years ago, and according to former captain Steven Gerrard, the Reds really should have snapped him up when they had the chance.
Steven Gerrard wanted Declan Rice at Liverpool
Although he was linked with a move to Anfield, it always felt likely that Rice wanted to stay in London when he left West Ham.
As a result, Liverpool never felt like serious players in a move which ended up costing £100m.
Declan Rice runs with the ball as Curtis Jones chases him during Liverpool's Premier League match against Arsenal at Anfield.
Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
READ MORE: Clarity arrives on when injured Alexander Isak is expected to play again for Liverpool
Still, that has not stopped Gerrard from dreaming of a Liverpool midfield containing the England international.
“He’s maybe one we should have tried to grab from West Ham,” the Scouser told The Smiths Brothers podcast.
“I don’t know whether we did or not, but I think he’d have been brilliant for us. I mean, imagine him in midfield now.”
With Antoine Semenyo looking unlikely, which forward should Liverpool sign instead?
They need someone to fill in for Isak 🤕
Antoine Semenyo stood with his hands on his hips during Bournemouth's Premier League match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium (Credit: Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA).
Credit: Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
How would Liverpool’s midfield look with Rice in it?
As he moved in a summer where Liverpool needed to reshape their whole midfield, it was always unlikely the Reds would be able to shell out on Rice.
If you slot him into Arne Slot’s current midfield options, then of course he makes them better. A three of Rice, Dominik Szoboszlai and either Alexis Mac Allister or Ryan Gravenberch would solve plenty of Liverpool’s problems.
However, the truth is that had they signed Rice from West Ham, the Reds would not have been able to buy the three star midfielders they ended up with in 2023.
Part of the reason Liverpool did not go bigger for Jude Bellingham was because they realised they could not blow the midfield budget on one player. Rice actually cost more than his England teammate, meaning the same would have definitely applied to him.
So, if Liverpool had signed the 26-year-old, they almost certainly would not have bought Szoboszlai or even Gravenberch. Mac Allister may have arrived, and a midfield pivot of Rice and the Argentine would still have worked, but with a Premier League title under their belt, we’d argue that the Reds are better off.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox