'I can't believe he said that!' - Seaman slams Carragher over Rice comments
David Seaman has dismissed Jamie Carragher's recent comments about Declan Rice, confidently backing the midfielder to be a central figure in Arsenal's long-term future.
Arsenal fended off strong interest from Manchester City to sign Rice for a club-record £100million deal in 2023 and the 26-year-old has quickly established himself as a fan favourite in north London.
However, the Gunners going another campaign without winning any trophies means Rice is still yet to lift any silverware – barring the Community Shield – since arriving through the doors at the Emirates.
Rice's Europa Conference League triumph with West Ham stands alone as his only major title to date and the England international will no doubt be desperate to put that right next season.
While Rice has made no indication that he could be considering his future with Arsenal, Sky Sports pundit Carragher suggested doubts could start to creep in should next season go the same way for Mikel Arteta's men.
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'I don't think right now, I think maybe [that could be the case] for other players who have been there a bit longer,' the outspoken ex-Liverpool defender said following Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Anfield.
'But in terms of Declan, I think he's been Arsenal's best player this season. I think those doubts maybe kick in in another 12 months.'
Rio Ferdinand echoed these comments on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, claiming Rice could get 'itchy feet' and begin looking elsewhere if Arsenal come up short in pursuit of major trophies again next term.
However, former Arsenal goalkeeper Seaman is not in the least bit concerned about Rice agitating for a move, blasting Carragher for even entertaining the idea in the wake of Sunday's heavyweight clash on Merseyside.
Asked for his thoughts on Carragher's remarks on the Seaman Says podcast, Seaman replied: 'Wow. So we've not even finished this season and he's talking about [Arsenal] not doing anything next season… and then someone that might leave in the next season!
'Let's get Uri Geller on and ask him!'
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Seaman added: 'No, I can't believe that he [Carragher] has said something like that because I'm excited about next season with Arsenal.
'They're getting better and better, they're contending consistently.
'I said at the start of this season that if you finish above Manchester City, you win the league, and then Liverpool come in.
'Then, we end up playing PSG that were a fantastic team so Declan will stay. There's no problem, not at all.'
Seaman later joked: 'He can do what he did at West Ham: win a trophy and then leave!'
The ex-England shot-stopper was stunned by the boos Trent Alexander-Arnold received at Anfield and believes the mood inside the stadium actually helped Arsenal in rescuing a point from the game.
'I think it affected Liverpool in a negative way because when you see one of your best players getting treated like that, it must have a strange affect on you,' Seaman explained.
'Whether that gave Arsenal that extra lift they needed… it did look like that.
'Liverpool got the two goals within like two minutes and I was like, 'Here we go!', and then Arsenal just steadied it and came out in the second half and, by all accounts, it looked like Mikel had given them a right rollicking at half-time.'
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