Gotta agree with patchy eyes on this one - I think you might be reading into it a bit too far (understandable given the Bale incident). The Bale incident was different to me as it was actually targeted, disparaging to a club that he had just signed for and a really specific insult to a currently active player.

Making a comment like that about Rice is the opposite, not even banter but actually a sign of respect. The implication is “I wish he was playing on my team, and not my team’s biggest rival”.