Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks Arsenal could now have found their very own Virgil van Dijk.
After a disappointing 2022/23, Van Dijk has been back to his best this season. The Dutchman’s recent form has reminded everyone just how good a player he’s been for Liverpool.
January will mark six years since Virgil’s arrival at Anfield, and it’s worth remembering that plenty of people thought Liverpool had vastly overpaid for the £75m man.
Those same reactions were out in force when Arsenal agreed to pay West Ham United £105m for Declan Rice this summer. However, writing for The Telegraph today, Carragher has claimed that just as £75m was eventually seen as a bargain for Van Dijk, the same will one day be true of Rice.
“For Arsenal, the move for Rice was a no-brainer,” writes the 45-year-old. “I believe we will be talking about him as an Arsenal great in seven or eight years, and that his £105 million fee will look like a snip.
“Ultimately, he could be for Arsenal what Virgil van Dijk has been for Liverpool. Van Dijk cost £75 million but, after everything he has achieved at Anfield, that fee is rightly regarded as a bargain.”
Carragher makes Van Dijk comparison
Obviously, there isn’t much comparison between Van Dijk and Rice as players. They play in totally different positions for a start.
But we can still see what Carragher is trying to get at here.
It was actually reported back when Rice signed for Arsenal that insiders at the Emirates saw the 24-year-old as a ‘transformative’ signing in the mould of Van Dijk. So this isn’t a new comparison.
Nevertheless, we still think it’s very early days to be making such claims.
Van Dijk was an overnight success at Liverpool. He scored on his debut for the club and never looked back since. Within two-and-a-half years, the Reds were Champions League and Premier League winners, with their No.4 at the heart of everything.
Rice has started off well with Arsenal and has already scored some crucial late winners. But unless the Gunners can go on a similar trajectory over the next 24 months, then this is a moot point. He’s no Van Dijk.
Ultimately, we suppose this debate boils down to whether or not the money to sign Rice becomes irrelevant. Perhaps it will, but we’re not convinced he has it in him to be a game-changer in that way.
Should Arsenal fail to kick on and win anything, then it doesn’t really matter how well Rice does individually. His signing will have been an expensive failure. From where we’re sitting, that’s just as likely to happen as a Van Dijk-esque led charge to the top of the game. The jury is out.
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