Former Liverpool midfielder and club legend Steven Gerrard has revealed that he tried to convince Willian and Toni Kroos to join Liverpool during his time at the club.
During the 2013-14 season, Willlian, then Anzhi Makhachkala star was linked with a move to three Premier League clubs, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Chelsea. The Brazilian midfielder was heavily linked with Spurs and Liverpool but finally joined Chelsea in the end.
Speaking about Willian deal Gerrard: “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.”
Steven Gerrard mentioned that he never targetted players whom he did not rate. He considered Willian to be a great talent but was surprised when he chose to join Chelsea.
The maestro added: “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.
“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.”
Steven Gerrard further added that Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wanted him to approach German midfielderToni Kroos who joined Real Madrid last summer.
Regarding the audacious bid, Gerrard said: “Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic. Brendan asked me 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.
“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.”