Chelsea could have pursued Rice on numerous occasions after realising the mistake that they had made, with Thomas Tuchel, Frank Lampard and Sarri all shortlisting the midfielder as a top target during their respective tenures but being left after their requests fell on deaf ears.
Speaking in 2019, Sarri praised the future Hammers captain, saying: “I think that he’s a very good player, very good in the defensive phase because he’s really very able to recover the ball. He usually plays very close to the defensive line and, in the first match against West Ham, he was really a very big problem for us.
“I think he is improving in the offensive phase. He has improved during the season because I saw their last matches and I saw a very good midfielder.”
But it is now too late for Chelsea to reunite with their former academy talent, with Arsenal set to enjoy the peak of Rice’s powers in a new-look midfield next season.
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