Joe Gomez has admitted he came close to leaving Liverpool during the summer
Joe Gomez has admitted he came close to leaving Liverpool during the summer
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has spoken for the first time about his failed move to Newcastle United after coming very close to swapping Anfield for St James' Park in the summer. Gomez looked all set to move to Newcastle as part of a deal that would have taken Anthony Gordon to Liverpool.
A deal was agreed for a £45m move, with Gordon's exit taking the double deal to £75m in a move that was prompted by the need to address Profit and Sustainability Rules, while allowing Newcastle to strengthen defensively. Ultimately the move collapsed when Newcastle pulled out of the Gomez switch after finding other ways of addressing PSR ahead of the June 30 deadline, with Yankuba Minteh's exit a big part of that.
Now, as the transfer window prepares to open once again and with Gomez currently part of Liverpool's line-up after recent injuries in Arne Slot's squad, the England defender has spoken for the first time about the planned Newcastle move.
"Yeah, it was definitely for real," he says. "My focus was always on the club but I know how blessed I am to be here and I will be 10 years in the summer.
"I don’t take that for granted. It is the best club in the world in my eyes and it was quickly a case of adapting and getting into the swing of things (after the deal collapsed). It was good to put it to bed. That is football.
"I am a big believer in focusing on the present. To be somewhere 10 years and not have any blips would not be natural which probably speaks about my ambition."
Asked if he was happy with the way things worked out, Gomez responds: "Yes. It is a pleasure to be part of such a great group and we obviously have such a good foundation to hopefully achieve something this year and that is what you want to be part of. I love being here. I love the club."
Newcastle failed in their bid to land a centre-back after sending the rest of the summer pursuing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, before that transfer collapsed late in the window. The Mags could launch another bid for Guehi, but there has also been talk of the club revisiting the Gomez deal.