Pepe talked out of leaving by his wife in January

[Randy Marsh]

Reina: The Liverpool owners stopped me joining Arsenal for £20m

By JOE BERNSTEIN

 

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina nearly quit Anfield three times as the club fell apart under the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

 

The Spaniard has shed new light on the turmoil at Liverpool and claims the club stopped him from joining Arsenal in 2010 because they feared it would send out the wrong signal to potential buyers as the Hicks and Gillett era collapsed under a sea of debt.

 

Reina, who wanted permission to speak to Arsene Wenger as Arsenal tabled a £20million bid, claims there were splits in the Liverpool dressing room over the Americans and says he wanted local heroes Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher to do more to support fans' protests.

 

Reina also campaigned against the appointment of Roy Hodgson to replace Rafa Benitez.

 

After hitting his 'lowest ebb' under the new man, he considered leaving again in January - only to be talked out of it by his wife.

 

On an earlier occasion, Benitez had talked Reina out of joining Valencia.

The goalkeeper's head was turned by Arsenal when he returned from Spain's World Cup victory celebrations last year to find Liverpool in crisis with Benitez sacked, Hicks and Gillett clinging on to power and the running of the club left to managing director Christian Purslow, who was trying to find new owners.

 

'I went from elation one minute to depression the next as the realisation dawned that Liverpool were going nowhere fast,' says Reina in his new autobiography.

 

'When I signed my contract in April 2010 I hoped that better times were just around the corner, a feeling that was fuelled by the promises of improvement from people at the club.

 

'It didn't take me long to feel that their promises were hollow. I felt betrayed. Our owners were at war with each other, the club's debts were spiralling out of control and a change in manager had failed to dispel the feeling that we were on the road to nowhere.

 

'Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper. Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.

 

'When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave. The reason I was given was quite different - and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process.

 

'I still don't know what to think of Purslow because I understand he was there to look for new owners and to try to sell the club but ultimately he was making big football decisions that he was not qualified to make.'

 

Reina publicly called for Hicks and Gillett to go long before current owner John W Henry took over last October.

 

The 29-year-old also admits he would have liked Gerrard and Carragher to have taken a similar stand.

 

'I was probably one of the loudest objectors because I believed it was important the supporters knew I was with them,' he says.

 

'All I wanted the owners to do was sell up to people who could take the club forward, so I said so.

 

'The way I saw it, Stevie and Carra are the two principle members of our squad, the ones who the people love and if they had said something maybe it would have put Hicks and Gillett under real pressure.

 

'But in their view, it was more important to try to keep things as normal as possible.'

 

 

Read more: Pepe Reina: Liverpool owners stopped me joining Arsenal for £20m | Mail Online

[ritchie]

Purslow is a fucking bellend.

[Iceman]

Wow, that's some heavy shit. Thanks wifey. She probably persuaded him over a suck treat.

[usernameunknown]

Ouch, thinking Purslow is a bellend and Carra and Gerrard should have said something. He's going to be absolutely despised on here now.

[Randy Marsh]

'I still don't know what to think of Purslow because I understand he was there to look for new owners and to try to sell the club but ultimately he was making big football decisions that he was not qualified to make.'

 

 

 

[sir roger]

Pepe was far braver than our home-grown guys at the time it mattered, but I am sorry this has come out now as the club seems to be united at last.

[loadsoftrophies]

Purslow for England.

[King Emlyn]

This is going to go well.....

[Ted]

Where does he mention Purslow?

 

EDIT: Seen it.

[Horus]

Well fucking in Pepe - too many people at the club shit their responsibilities during that time. From Parry and Moores initially, to the players (ex and current) and Purslow.

 

Dark days indeed, an I'm glad they're over.

[Jairzinho]

I love Pepe Reina.

[grazywalker]

We need pics of her for sure

[Guest LFD]

When I grow up I want to be Pepe Reina!

[ritchie]

Well fucking in Pepe - too many people at the club shit their responsibilities during that time. From Parry and Moores initially, to the players (ex and current) and Purslow.

 

Dark days indeed, an I'm glad they're over.

 

Worrying how much I still get wound up thinking about it whenever I read anything like that.

 

A travesty how this club ended up at least until the last year's turnaround.

[fowler9]

I can understand why he considered going but fucking Arsenal?! well below your level that Pepe lad

 

still gotta love the guy though!

[Iceman]

If this is the first Carra and Stevie are hearing about this, it would be interesting to see their reaction.

[Carradona]

No doubt Purslow made mistakes (big ones) in areas that he shouldn't have been dealing with, but he succeeded in what he was brought to the club to do, and on the one year anniversary of us getting rid of the parasites who previously owned the club, I'm still shocked that there are plenty of fans out there who don't want to give him any credit at all.

[Trucker Paddy]

Totally agree with him more people shoulda spoke out, not just the players he mentioned, there was others who sided with one or other owners to look after themselves.

Also agree with him regarding non football people making football decisions, it was crazy.

I agree with all he's saying but once again Reina the week of our game against our biggest Rivals decides to talk on the newspapers or gives the go ahead for quotes from his book to be put in the paper to make it look like there's trouble in the camp, he did it last season when just before the united game him and Sid Lowe decided to talk about him leaving the club, can't agree with him for that and Pepe needs to choose his timing better, but the sentiment is good even though I'd rather all players kept autobiographies till after they've something to write about notably when they retire.

[lifetime fan]

If this is the first Carra and Stevie are hearing about this, it would be interesting to see their reaction.

 

Gerrard and Carra both speak of Reina telling them to speak up in Reade's book.

 

Can't disagree with a single word he's said there. Bar Arsenal of course, fucking hell lad you are a country mile above those tossers!

[Juan Galonso]

If Purslow doesn't deal with the day to day running of the club when we are a rudderless ship between managers then who does? I think most people were quite happy when Joe Cole signed for instance. Easy in hindsight to suggest otherwise.

 

Tompkins tried to bizarrely (or maybe not for him) credit Rafa for Carroll and Suarez signing a few months ago because we sold Torres who was a Rafa signing (another one of those ridiculous tenuous links that ALL of his articles throws up). Lest we forget who negotiated and agreed such a release clause in his contract that Chelsea had to stump up to get him.

 

Purslow deserves criticism for his handling of certain things but credit for other things that as Carradona says above seems to be in short supply. Why, I just don't know.

 

I am glad he isn't here anymore myself but I think the disdain for him is misguided on the whole.

[BenR_]

No middle ground on Purslow eh?

Am I crazy for appreciating the good things he did while also being glad he's gone? Is that so preposterous?

 

On Pepe, no real eye-openers. This is how fucked up the club was, this was what our top players were thinking. Just glad that time is behind us, almost as glad as Reina probably is that his move to Arsenal didn't materialise!

[lifetime fan]

No doubt Purslow made mistakes (big ones) in areas that he shouldn't have been dealing with, but he succeeded in what he was brought to the club to do, and on the one year anniversary of us getting rid of the parasites who previously owned the club, I'm still shocked that there are plenty of fans out there who don't want to give him any credit at all.

 

He didn't though did he?

 

He failed to sell the club and that is why Broughton was brought in.

[goatboy59]

And this 20m of Arsenal's - where would it have ended up exactly?

 

Was that not part of the consideration also?

 

Before we even think about how we can think of letting a world class player go when there was zero chance of getting a suitable replacement. He's making out like that wasn't even a consideration. Not even Purslow was that stupid.

 

Pepe Reina wanted to leave Liverpool when we were at our lowest ebb. So did Torres. So did Mascherano.

 

Can't help but think that's also going to be part of the debate now.

 

Personally I wanted to believe that Reina and Torres realised their transfer money would have been swallowed whole by the vermin and might possibly have delayed the epic swindle, as they could have offered RBS those fees for an extension and acted accordingly.

 

So much for that nonsense.

[TheHitman]

I'd rather all players kept autobiographies till after they've something to write about notably when they retire.

 

Agree on this, although it must be said a few of our senior players have had books released so he is only following their lead.

[usernameunknown]

He didn't though did he?

 

He failed to sell the club and that is why Broughton was brought in.

 

Indeed. Broughton sold the club, Purslow just voted yes. Hardly worth the hailing some have of him on here. But its nothing to do with that, Benitez hated him so that automatically made Purslow a legend with some on this site.