Scott Sinclair has revealed he rejected interest from Liverpool in favour of signing for Man City in the summer of 2012
New signing Scott Sinclair of Manchester City watches from the bench during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers at Etihad Stadium
New signing Scott Sinclair of Manchester City watches from the bench during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers at Etihad Stadium(Image: 2012 Getty Images)
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When Brendan Rodgers took over as Liverpool manager back in 2012, he wasted no time in looking to reunite with players he already knew well.
His first two signings saw the Reds sign Fabio Borini and Joe Allen from Roma and Swansea City respectively.
The Italian had played under Rodgers in the Chelsea youth ranks, before joining his Swansea team on loan in March 2011. Meanwhile, it was the Northern Irishman who got the best out of Allen at the Liberty Stadium as the Swans won promotion in his first season in charge before finishing mid-table in their maiden season in the Premier League.
Liverpool coughed up a combined £25m to sign the pair, but they were not the only former Swansea players Rodgers had been keen to bring with him to Anfield.
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He also wanted to sign his captain, Ashley Williams, and reunite with Gylfi Sigurdsson after he shone on loan in South Wales during the second half of the 2011/12 season.
Williams would ultimately stay put at Swansea, while Sigurdsson ended up joining Tottenham Hotspur instead in an £8m switch from Hoffenheim.
But it appears there was another player Rodgers tried to recruit from his former club in his first summer at Anfield, with Scott Sinclair revealing he rejected Liverpool’s advances at the time to sign for Man City.
The forward had shone under Rodgers after joining Swansea in 2010, scoring 27 goals in all competitions as they won promotion to the Premier League, before returning a respectable eight goals in their maiden season in the top-flight.
Such form earned him an initial £8m move to the Etihad, though Sinclair struggled to reach such heights at Man City.
Limited to just 11 Premier League appearances in his first season at the club, loan moves to West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa followed before he joined the latter permanently in 2015.
Looking back, Sinclair insists he could not say no to Man City. But concedes that in hindsight he would have been better off signing for Liverpool.
“The first time I heard about the Man City interest was when I was playing for Team GB at London 2012,” Sinclair told Seven, powered by Ladbrokes. “Obviously there was talk about other clubs as well, but not a lot materialised, really.
“Even Liverpool came in for me at the time, and so that was another discussion I had with my agent. Looking back, maybe that would have been a better move for me, with their wide players.
“But yeah, Man City come in and I couldn’t really say no. Things didn’t work out as well as I’d have liked them to, because I’d have loved more of an opportunity there, but there were just so many players around the place.
“I think I started against Arsenal and Stoke and that was it for me. I made a handful of appearances but opportunities were limited.
“I think that coming from Swansea, playing every single week, scoring a hat-trick in the play-off final, and then having a year in the Premier League and scoring eight from out wide before I made my move, I was in such a good place.
“And then the City move just sort of stops things, and puts everything on hold, then I’ve got to rebuild again. The first six months were great, because it was all new, and I was playing for a top team, being involved in the Champions League, but then on the other hand I wasn’t playing much, and that was frustrating.
“You know, I think back to those Arsenal and Stoke games… say I scored in both games, then maybe things would have been different as I’d have had a bit more time in the first-team.
“But I believe in trying to build as much experience as you can, playing with many different players and understanding the game. And my overriding feeling when it comes to City is that I’d much rather say I made the move and it may or may not have worked out, than never made the move and never knowing what might have been.
“I always look out for teams I’ve played for, and I’ll always have a soft spot for Man City.”
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Oussama Assaidi joined Liverpool in a £2.4m switch from Heerenveen in the summer of 2012 and was the Reds’ only new arrival outwide in Rodgers’ first transfer window.
However, the Moroccan would flop at Anfield and be limited to just four Premier League appearances before being sent out on loan to Stoke City.
Meanwhile, Stewart Downing was Rodgers’ only senior winger following his arrival. But with the England international initially falling out of favour under his new manager, the Liverpool boss instead predominantly turned to youngsters Raheem Sterling and Suso outwide or played Fabio Borini, Jonjo Shelvey or Jose Enrique out of position during the first half of the season prior to the arrivals of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho in January.
Having flopped at Man City, Sinclair only rediscovered his best form four years after his move to the Etihad when joining Celtic in the summer of 2016 and reuniting with Rodgers. Looking back at the Reds’ wide options at the time, maybe he had a point.