Just about everyone associated with Liverpool wants Jurgen Klopp to end his reign with another Premier League title – except one former star.
Or at least Ryan Babel wouldn’t be that miffed if Arsenal ended up pipping the Reds to the post come the end of this season. The Gunners lead Manchester City at the Premier League by one point but have played a game more than Pep Guardiola’s men, while Liverpool are almost certainly out of the conversation sat five points off the pace.
Babel, 37, arrived at Anfield in 2007 and spent four years on Merseyside, failing to lift a piece of silverware over the course of his stay. He beat Arsenal once in eight encounters during that spell but explained why he’d be happy to see Mikel Arteta‘s side thrive taste glory this term.
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“First of all, for the people who don’t know, even before I joined Liverpool, I’ve always been an Arsenal supporter,” Babel exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone. “So, if Liverpool cannot win the title, then I want Arsenal to win it, so I was happy they got the three points against Tottenham this weekend.
“I hope they can continue to apply pressure on Manchester City right up until the last game, but we know it’s now very unlikely for City to slip up from here. It’s still possible for Arsenal to slip up, just because that’s unfortunately been a part of their DNA in recent times. But so far they’ve kept the title race very exciting, and I hope they continue to do so over the next few weeks.”
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(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Babel – who made 146 Liverpool appearances and last played for Eyupspor in Turkey’s second tier – predicted City won’t drop any more points this season, noting it’s “very disappointing the Jurgen Klopp story has to end this way.” And many Liverpool fans will be in agreement, with Arsenal seemingly now all that’s standing between City and yet another Premier League crown.
The former Netherlands international went on to discuss the past transfer rumours linking him with Arsenal, which he said would have been his dream move. However, he added he had no regrets over his move to Liverpool, who made him feel “really wanted.”
(Image: Ryan Babel)
“I’m a die hard Liverpool supporter today,” Babel continued. “I want to see them succeeding, I still have a good relationship with a lot of people in the club and I’ve never felt like they’ve forgotten about me and what I did for the club, even though maybe it wasn’t as impactful as a, say, Fernando Torres, or Steven Gerrard.
“But I appreciate the people in and around that club so much because of the respect they have for me. You know, they don’t have to respect me, but they do. It’s a special club for me, and I’m proud to be involved in the Legends team nowadays.”