Liverpool legend John Barnes claims that Declan Rice would be the one player from Arsenal’s squad that he would like to see in a Reds shirt.

Speaking to Lucky Block, Barnes said he would deploy the former West Ham player as a lone holding midfielder in a similar way that Manchester City have utilised Rodri:

“If I had to pick one player from Arsenal and put them in this Liverpool team, it would be Declan Rice, and I would play him in a number 6 role like Rodri. Rice wouldn’t be allowed to go forward and score goals. Ryan Gravenberch has done a great job there. I don’t think the 6 is his natural position, and he’s done fantastically well in the eight games he’s done it.”

“At the highest level, if you need a number 6, Gravenberch is not going to be a defensive midfield player who can win the ball and protect the back four when you’re playing against teams who are going to dominate possession. I think that Declan Rice does that job better than Gravenberch.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Gravenberch has performed the role admirably, but if you’re talking about taking one Arsenal player, then I would pick Declan Rice because I do think that Liverpool will miss not having a proper defensive midfield player – they’ll be times over the course of a season where they will need one. Odegaard is a great player, but we’ve got lots of flair players who can do what he does, so it would have to be Rice.”

Comparing the stats of Gravenberch and Rice

If we look at the numbers for this season, there is an argument to say that Liverpool already have a better player in the ranks.

Ryan Graverberch has averaged 3.5 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes in the league compared to Rice’s 1.85. He has also made more blocks (1.13) per 90 than the Arsenal midfielder (1.08).

In possession, Gravenberch is making more carries (45.9 per 90) than Rice (28.6) as well as being dispossessed far less often – losing the ball 0.25 per 90 minutes to the Gunners star’s 1.23 per 90. You do have to qualify these stats, though, by pointing out that Rice has generally been playing further up the pitch.

Arsenal v Liverpool result odds

The bookmakers have made the Gunners slight favourites to secure the three points this weekend, with their longest odds being 6/4. The Reds, meanwhile, are being priced between 7/4 and 19/10 to secure victory.

A draw is currently deemed the least likely outcome with some bookies placing odds as long as 12/5. It could be a very tight contest on Sunday, with Rice and Gravenberch both set to be influential figures.

Find out who is in Liverpool’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here