A veteran Premier League striker has admitted his regret for turning down a move to Liverpool when Steven Gerrard himself was pushing for him to join the club.
Gerrard was known for using his powers of persuasion to tempt players to join him at Anfield, with some attempts proving more successful than others.
Former West Ham striker Bobby Zamora admitted he was among those courted by the former Reds captain during his playing days – and regretted not following his England international teammate’s advice.
Speaking on the Under The Cosh podcast, Zamora revealed that Gerrard once tried to convince him to move to Liverpool, claiming he “should have spent five years” at Anfield.
“I probably should have gone to Liverpool from Fulham,” explained the 42-year-old.
“Roy. [Hodgson] He went to Liverpool. They bid and Spurs bid at the same time, £10m each.
“When I played for England, my first game against Hungary, I got in the lift with my best friend and Stevie G said to me: ‘Dude, you’re fucking brilliant today, well done. Would you come to Liverpool?’
“I was like ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ and he said ‘I’ll talk to Roy.’
“I had just had my daughters. Mark Hughes said: “You’re going to be my point man, I need you, we’ll give you a new deal.” I don’t know why, but I said ‘Yeah, okay.’
“But yeah, I probably should have gone to Liverpool. Regardless of the fact that Roy didn’t do very well there.
“I should have spent five years at Liverpool. You can’t hit some branches coming down from there.”
Zamora made 252 Premier League appearances throughout his career, recording just two friendly matches for England, both under the management of Fabio Capello.
He scored two goals in 17 games against Liverpool in all competitions, but clearly caught Gerrard’s eye while they were both on international duty in 2010.
While it’s admirable that you think he could have clocked up half a decade in a Liverpool shirt, the arrivals of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in 2011 and 2013 respectively make that claim a bold one, it’s fair to say!
Gerrard definitely had an eye for a player, but it ultimately turned out to be a move that never materialized for both parties.
