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Journalist Eamon Dunphy has stated that Liverpool would've been Premier League champions this year had they beaten Arsenal in the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United in 2023. The Reds' hopes of bagging the Premier League title in Jurgen Klopp's last season are all but over.
The Merseyside club failed to win a must-win game against Aston Villa on May 13, Monday. Despite leading 3-1 till very late in the game against Unai Emery's men, The Reds conceded two late goals, allowing the Villans to manage a 2-2 draw.
Liverpool were also interested in Moisés Caicedo but couldn't muster the resources to bag the signature of the Ecuadorian midfielder. As a result, he joined Chelsea for a British record transfer fee of approximately £115 million.
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The Reds signed Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai but they haven't produced the kind of results Klopp would've been hoping for.
Dunphy feels the singing of Rice would've made all the difference and would've given Liverpool an edge over their title competitors. Here's what he said on his podcast:
"I think if Liverpool had bought him he would’ve been huge for them this year. I would say John, that, if Liverpool, who are my team, if they paid £100m for Rice last summer, as Arsenal did, I think they would’ve won the league this year, it’s only Mac Allister who has worked, the rest of them aren’t much good."
Liverpool's midfield and attack have been a matter of concern. The Reds bid farewell to club captain Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and perhaps one of the finest holding midfielders Fabinho in the last couple of years.
This called for a complete revamp of their midfield, the transition of which has been extremely gradual.
Furthermore, the club also saw Sadio Mane leave, a gifted dribbler and striker of the ball. While Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz have been phenomenal replacements, injuries have more or less plagued their time at the club.
Liverpool were once fighting for a quadruple of trophies
The Merseyside club was fighting for a quadruple of trophies at the turn of the new year. However, a 3-4 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in the FA Cup and a 1-3 aggregate defeat at the hands of Atalanta ruined those hopes.
The club was once in a commanding position to claim their second Premier League title under Jurgen Klopp. However, consecutive defeats at the hands of Crystal Palace and Everton more or less dented their hopes of winning the Premier League as well.
The Reds, however, won't be ending the season trophyless, as they won the Carabao Cup in February this year after defeating Chelsea 1-0. Klopp's men have just one game remaining in this year's campaign. They will take on Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, May 19.
