Yevhen Konoplyanka was diminished to tears when his dream transfer to Liverpool was left shattered on the final minute.
The Ukrainian winger was enjoying for his boyhood membership Dnipro on the time in 2014 and was one among Europe’s most fun younger gamers due to his exploits on the home and European stage.
His performances caught the attention of Liverpool who had been having fun with a surprisingly fruitful season of their 2013/14 Premier League marketing campaign which was spearheaded by the deadly partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge.
READ MORE:Kylian Mbappe to surrender £69million bonus as Liverpool hunt for switch
READ MORE:Mo Salah will get haircut forward of AFCON after taunts over Liverpool star’s hairline
Learn extra
Sky Sports is bringing you 500 reside soccer video games to observe, as effectively entry to Cricket, Golf, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA and extra throughout eight devoted channels. Sky Sports is the solely technique to watch all of the motion this yr.
£22 a month
Sky
Despite a devastating ahead line that additionally included the likes of Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers wished much more firepower in his squad and determined to enter the January switch window to search for reinforcements.
With only a month to safe a deal, the membership settled on Konoplyanka after Mohamed Salah had joined Chelsea from Basel which was simply three years earlier than he ultimately joined Liverpool. With a payment being agreed with Dnipro’s proprietor, Ihor Kolomoyskyi, in addition to private phrases with the winger, the deal regarded set to verify.
Was Liverpool lacking out on Yevhen Konoplyanka a blessing in disguise? Give us your ideas within the feedback part beneath
(Image: Corbis by way of Getty Images)
However, the Ukrainian membership pulled the plug on the switch on Deadline Day which left the winger, 34, a blubbering mess. “I was crying,” Konoplyanka has since admitted in an interview with Weszlo. “A delegation of serious people from Liverpool came to Dnipropetrovsk. We ate dinner. ‘Deal done’, they said. They were to pay as much as [owner] Ihor Kolomoyskyi wanted.”
He mentioned that he obtained messages from Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard and he even begged Kolomoyskyi to push the switch by means of however to no avail regardless of being supplied £20million. “I had to go to Kolomoyskyi. ‘Please, please, please, let me go, I will make my dream come true’, I begged.”
(Image: PA)
Liverpool chief govt Ian Ayre even flew to Ukraine to safe a deal however Kolomoyskyi delayed negotiations earlier than spurning the Reds’ advances on the finish of Deadline Day. Konoplyanka spent the following yr and a half at Dnipro earlier than leaving the membership on a free switch to Sevilla in 2015.
Join the Daily Star’s WhatsApp for the sexiest headlines, showbiz gossip and plenty extra
The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we would like you to affix us!
Through the app, we’ll ship you the sassiest showbiz tales, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens…together with the most recent breaking information in fact.
To be part of our neighborhood, all you must do to affix is click on on this hyperlink, choose ‘Join Chat’ and also you’re in!
No one will have the ability to see who has join and nobody can ship messages aside from the Daily Star staff. We additionally deal with our neighborhood members to competitions, particular affords, promotions, and adverts from us and our companions.
If you don’t like our neighborhood, you possibly can take a look at any time you want. To go away our neighborhood click on on the identify on the high of your display and select Exit group. If you’re curious, you possibly can learn our Privacy Notice.
The 34-year-old most not too long ago performed for Romanian outfit CFR Cluj however was launched this previous week after enjoying simply 4 video games.