‘I used to be left fuming after hope of Liverpool return was destroyed by bitter boss’
Stephen Warnock has recalled how his dream return to Liverpool was thwarted by Gerard Houllier.
The Sky Sports pundit, 42, who initially made his mark at Anfield under Rafa Benitez before moving to Blackburn in 2007, joined Aston Villa in 2009, where he played under ex-Reds boss Houllier. He played some of the best football of his career at Villa Park before a huge bust-up with the Frenchman.
The defender, who was still residing in the north-west, had been allowed by Houllier to head home after away games in the region. So, after a match at Manchester City, he didn’t board the team coach back to Birmingham.
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That led to a dispute with Houllier, who insisted he had never permitted players to head straight home after north-west games. When Warnock refused to apologise, Houllier relegated him to the reserves, the Liverpool Echo report.
It was a major setback for Warnock, who had recently represented England, and left him looking for an exit from Villa Park. His childhood club, Liverpool, seemed to offer a way out, but Houllier put a stop to the deal.
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(Image: Birmingham Mail)
Kenny Dalglish proposed a loan offer with an option to buy, and a deal was agreed, only for Houllier to step in. “My agent rings me and says, ‘you’re never going to believe what’s happened’, Warnock shared on the Undr The Coch podcast.
“So the manager [Houllier] was away when it [Liverpool’s approach] happened and got wind of it and basically turned round and said, ‘tell them we want a £1million loan fee’. Liverpool went, ‘we’re not paying that’ and he went, ‘well, it doesn’t happen then’.”
Warnock was so desperate to get the deal done, he offered to take a 50% pay cut, but the deal couldn’t be rescued. He added: “I remember thinking, ‘you horrible man’. I was furious, I’ve never been so angry. How can you stop someone playing football? It was like, because it was Liverpool, he wanted to p*** me off even more.”
