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Declan Rice is gearing up for a Champions League semi-final with Arsenal tonight.
But things could’ve been very different for the England star, as Brendan Rodgers revealed in 2024.
Prior to making his £105 million move to Arsenal, Rice was the star player at West Ham, where he was club captain after the retirement of Mark Noble.
But whilst he was still on the rise at the Hammers, Rodgers tried to bring him to Celtic.
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Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Brendan Rodgers: Celtic tried to sign Rice, and the rest is history
During the January 2024 window, Rodgers used the anecdote after being asked about the need to patiently wait for signings to come in, saying: “Ideally, you’d want to get them in.
“Deals can often be complicated, and things that might have been there for three or four months can fall away.
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Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
“That’s the challenge. It only takes one injury for a player who was lined up to come in.
“I remember when I was here the first time, we spent about three months looking for Declan Rice to come in.
“He was all set to come and all of a sudden they had an injury, he stayed and got in the team and the rest is history. That’s not the club’s fault. It’s just the way it goes.
“We have a number of positions we want to prioritise. There are other positions where we won’t be able to do anything until the summer.
“But we want to improve the squad, and the club are very happy to support that.”
At the time, Rice was playing predominantly as a centre-back for West Ham, and was still part of the Republic of Ireland national team.
It was the following season when he was pushed forward into midfield by David Moyes, establishing himself as a nailed-on starter in the Premier League.
Instead, that January, Celtic signed Jack Hendry and Marvin Compper.
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Photo credit should read ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
Other ‘what if’ Celtic signings
Through the years, Celtic have had their fair share of near hits in the transfer market.
The John McGinn saga has been done to death at this point; Aston Villa simply pushed harder for the midfielder and have since enjoyed the rewards for doing so.
Ireland hero Troy Parrott had a trial and offer from Celtic at a younger age, though once again, the Hoops’ interest was outweighed by that of Tottenham.
Speaking of Ireland heroes, Seamus Coleman also came close to Celtic, before making his famous £60,000 move to Everton.
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