Gerrard reveals he tried to convince Willian & Kroos to join Liverpool

The former England midfielder has revealed he was Liverpool's unofficial deal broker. The ex Liverpool midfielder revealed this in his new book My Story which is being serialized by Daily Mail.

The two prominent ones he mentioned were former Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos and current Chelsea midfielder Willian.

The two players were close to joining Liverpool and the former Liverpool midfielder tried to woo both players.

Recalling the club's protracted pursuit of the Brazil international, he writes:

"I followed the usual routine when approaching a star player we wanted to sign. Instead of calling him directly I always sent a text. It seemed more respectful and allowed the player to read my message at a time when it suited him best. A cold call felt wrong.

"I slipped into the groove with Willian. I said hello and hoped he didn't mind me contacting him directly. I stressed how much I admired him as a player and then, having mentioned that I knew Liverpool were speaking to his agent, I used the standard line: 'If you need to chat or ask any questions I'm available at any time.'

"It was the opening move in a familiar game. The reply came in and the same old conversation started. Willian thanked me and he said the usual, along the lines of, 'I'd love to play with you, Steven, blah-blah-blah, but there are other clubs who play in the Champions League I need to talk to as well.'

"I knew Spurs and Chelsea were also very keen on Willian. So I answered him and said, of course, I understood. But I then went in with my sales pitch.

'I think Liverpool would be a great move for you. The fans are amazing, the history is there and we're building a good team. You could do something great here - and we'd love to have you.'

"Gerrard says that he was only ever willing to speak with players that he "rated", but says he was unsurprised when the winger chose to move to Stamford Bridge.

"I always tried to persuade with honesty and respect and never mentioned anything about the player's financial situation or the contract he could expect from Liverpool," he adds.

"The next text from Willian was so obvious I could have written it for him even before I read it. He again said that it would be great to play in the same team as me but 'I'm not sure Liverpool can give me the Champions League.' He went to Chelsea."

About Kross

"Gerrard admits that he often knew a deal was dead when a player mentioned his girlfriend's preference of city, and says that he was stunned when he was asked to contact Kroos."

"Brendan Rodgers lined up a move for the midfielder during his time at Bayern Munich, with Kroos eventually going on to win the World Cup with Germany in Brazil."

"Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic. Brendan askedme to take a crack at trying to talk Toni Kroos into signing for Liverpool. He smiled when I said we'd be p*****g into the wind with this one," he adds.

"We both admired Kroos immensely. I knew Real Madrid were gearing up to make Bayern Munich an offer and so I felt a bit awkward when I texted Kroos. The German was on his way to winning the World Cup with his country and Real were the champions of Europe. But God loves a trier, and so I gave it a whirl."

"Some of the best footballers in the world can also be the most respectful. Kroos didn't make me feel like I was a total idiot. But, of course, he would soon sign for Real Madrid. We had a nice little exchange of texts and I said well done and good luck."

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About Unknown

Lover of sport. Football enthusiast in general. Fc Barcelona fan and writer.
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