Steven Gerrard has heaped praise on Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and pondered over his impact at Liverpool - if he signed
Steven Gerrard(Image: Getty Images)
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Steven Gerrard has expressed his regret at Liverpool failing to sign Declan Rice. The Arsenal midfielder has emerged as a key player for Mikel Arteta, as they mount a challenge for the Premier League title.
The Reds icon spoke highly of the England international and felt Liverpool should've pushed to sign the 26-year-old before the north London club won the race to sign him from West Ham United. Arteta snapped up his signature to win the race in 2023, fresh off the back of the UEFA Conference League success for the Hammers, landing his services for over £100million.
There have been no suggestions that Liverpool were in the hunt for his signature, with Manchester United and Arsenal among the favourites to sign him. That summer, Jurgen Klopp welcomed Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister for a combined £100million from RB Leipzig and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively, as part of the midfield revolution on Merseyside.
Gerrard lauded the Arsenal midfielder and believes he has the perfect profile to be in the engine room.
The former Liverpool captain told the Smith Brothers podcast: "I love Declan Rice, I've been singing his praises for a long time. I coached 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 6ft1in, 6ft2in, 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.
"I think he's really getting into that class where he's becoming a world class midfielder. 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."
It isn't the first time that the 45-year-old has heaped praise on the midfielder, as he previously claimed Rice's move to Arsenal has catapulted him to the next level.
"In the Premier League, I think Declan Rice is a really, really good midfielder," he added.
"I like an awful lot about him. I like the kid, I like his mentality, I like the way he's gone to the next level at Arsenal, he's adding different things to his game. I think he'd be a really tough, strong opponent, a good challenge."
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is still under pressure at Anfield despite their 2-1 win over Wolves extending their run to four on the bounce.
They now sit fourth in the Premier League table and unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions. But their turbulent spell between September and November saw nine defeats, including a run of four straight losses.
In an interview with TNT Sports, Gerrard lent his backing to the Dutchman and offered support if the Reds needed it. He said: "I’ll be brutally, brutally honest with you. I’d help Liverpool in any department at any minute of every day. I’d help them with anything.
"I don't want the Arne Slot to lose his job.
"I want him to fix this and turn it around and make Liverpool great. I was bouncing all over the city four or five months ago when Liverpool won the league.
"I'm a Liverpool fan. I want the best for Liverpool. But if Liverpool need me in any department at any time, I'll be there for them."