Carragher: Rice could be for Arsenal what van Dijk was for Liverpool

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Declan Rice can transform Arsenal from title contenders to Premier League winners.

“Watching Rice play reminds me of when I was in the Liverpool academy. We were always told to act faster with the ball, passing it to our partners’ feet. Rice does this brilliantly. This sets the tone for everything else.

It was only a matter of time before Steven Gerrard became Liverpool captain. It seems inevitable to me that Rice will one day receive the Arsenal captain’s armband. The same is likely to happen for England, although there he will be competing with Bellingham to one day replace Kane as captain.

For Arsenal, Rice’s move seemed ridiculous given the £105 million price tag. I believe we will be talking about him as a great Arsenal player in seven or eight years. After all, he may be to Arsenal what Virgil van Dijk was to Liverpool. Van Dijk cost £75 million but after all he achieved at Anfield, this transfer is rightly considered a bargain,” Carragher was quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo.

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