Gerrard Praises Rice as Top Midfielder, Wishes Liverpool Signed Him

Steven Gerrard, the former Liverpool captain and club icon, expressed deep admiration for Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice during a TNT Sports broadcast ahead of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League match against Galatasaray on Wednesday. Gerrard described Rice as one of the world's top players in his position and admitted he wished Liverpool had signed the 27-year-old England international before his move to Arsenal in 2023.

Rice scored the decisive goal in Arsenal's 2-0 second-leg victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday, securing the team's advancement to the Champions League quarterfinals. The goal marked his fifth of the season across all competitions, complemented by 11 assists. Since joining Arsenal from West Ham United for a club-record initial fee of 100 million pounds, Rice has become a cornerstone of manager Mikel Arteta's midfield. He has featured in all but one of Arsenal's 31 Premier League matches this season, contributing four goals and five assists in league play alone, helping the Gunners maintain a nine-point lead at the top of the table.

Gerrard, speaking from the Anfield press room, praised Rice's development. "He's going from strength to strength," Gerrard said....