I wasn’t comparing them as players when they signed; I have compared their potential ceiling, though, which I always held was very high for Rodri, even in his first season (which I still maintain was not as poor as many make out), and far higher than Rice’s.
I think Rice is actually pretty close to his ceiling now, with even Pep only able to marginally improve him, if he does come. I don’t think he’ll ever be able to fill Rodri’s role, or even the different role Dinho played. His passing is incredibly limited, he isn’t a particularly gifted shooter, and his build play is never going to be to either’s level.
He is what I would call and old school DM, with a real engine and aggression. There’s obviously a place for that in a system built to accommodate that limited contribution, but that requires it being built with his limitations in mind—ones that did not exist with Ilkay, Dinho, Barry, or now Rodri.
Perhaps Pep thought he could do it, and I have no reason to doubt he could.
But I also don’t think missing out on Rice is the calamity some are painting it as.
Unlike Rodri, there are plenty of other players that offer what Rice does. Some of them are younger, and may even be in our academy now.
I personally think Kovacic is actually an overall better player and I am not sure Rice will ever even reach his level (in either skills or achievement), much less Rodri’s (or even Gareth Barry’s, who was widely undervalued).
