Ex-Liverpool star snubbed rivals with ‘no probability I’m going to that membership’ reply
Former Premier League star Daniel Agger became a cult hero at Anfield when he refused to move teams despite massive interest from rival clubs
Ex-Liverpool Icon Daniel Agger revealed a shock transfer move to Anfield rivals Manchester City which he rejected even with the club wanting him to leave.
The Danish star, who turned 40 yesterday, made 232 appearances for Liverpool. He moved to Merseyside in 2006 from his boyhood club Brondby the season after the Red’s won the Champions League. His £6m fee was well paid-off as he became a top centre-back in the Prem, often playing alongside the likes of Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel.
Agger’s performances across his eight years at Liverpool caught the eyes of some of the top clubs in Europe. The former defender was linked with the likes of Barcelona and Man City.
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Despite the opportunity to win more silverware away from Liverpool, Agger admitted that a move either to Spain or Manchester didn’t interest him. “It was a strange one,” he said on the ‘Aldo Meets’ Podcast, hosted by Liverpool legend John Aldridge.
Reflecting on the uncertainness of his future 12 years, he added: “I remember I got presented for all these things and the club asked me what I was going to do and I said, ‘If you want me here, I will stay’. But I said, ‘If you don’t want me, if you don’t see me as part of your future I think it’s time that I go because I want to play football.”
While Agger made clear his intentions to stay at Anfield, he revealed that Liverpool in fact wanted to cash in on him, agreeing fees with both Barcelona and Man City. “I don’t know the story from their side, I think they agreed a price (with Barcelona) and they accepted it and came to me and said, ‘this is it’. I said, ‘okay, fair enough’. “
City, who were four years into their Abu Dhabi ownership, were able to trump the La Liga’s side offer but Agger said there was no chance of moving to a Premier League rival. “I said, ‘if you want to sell me I go down there (to Barcelona) otherwise I don’t go’.
“And another offer came in from the same club (Man City), higher, and my feeling was that the club wanted me to go because it was a lot of money back then.
“I said, ‘there’s no chance I’m going to that club, so better just stop now’”. The defender ended up departing Liverpool in 2014 after falling out of favour with Brendan Rodgers before returning to Brondby where he spent two seasons prior to his retirement from football in 2016.
