A Premier League icon says he twice received offers from Liverpool
Jermain Defoe of Spurs reacts during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers at White Hart Lane on January 14, 2012 in London, England.
Jermain Defoe wanted to sign for Liverpool(Image: Ian Walton, Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Jermain Defoe claims Steven Gerrard tried to get Liverpool to sign him twice during his career. The former England striker was among the most lethal finishers in the Premier League before his retirement in 2022.
Defoe's sharp eye for goal, especially during his prime years with the likes of West Ham and Tottenham, attracted attention from big Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United.
The 43-year-old revealed recently that Liverpool made two attempts to sign him, with captain Gerrard and Jamie Carragher instrumental in the Reds’ pursuit of their England team-mate. Liverpool were first keen to sign Defoe from Tottenham during Rafael Benitez’s tenure in 2006, potentially as part of a deal involving Djibril Cisse, which did not amount to anything.
A more serious deadline day pursuit in January 2012 also saw Sir Kenny Dalglish look to land Defoe, with Liverpool struggling for goals and Defoe falling down the pecking order at White Hart Lane. Defoe requested a loan move to Anfield but then-Spurs manager Harry Redknapp blocked it.
For reasons the striker still cannot fully comprehend, a transfer to Liverpool - or indeed any of the other major English clubs - never came to fruition, which remains one of his greatest professional disappointments.
Jermaine Defoe of England gets congratulated by Steven Gerrard after scoring his hat trick to make it 4-0
Steven Gerrard tried to help engineer his move(Image: Matthew Ashton, Corbis via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Defoe told William Hill’s podcast, The Warm-Up: "I get asked about why I didn’t sign for the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea or Man United a lot. The other day I bumped into a Liverpool fan and he asked, 'What happened in that year you were meant to come to us?'"
He went on to say: "There was always speculation, even when I was at West Ham, about joining Man United. I spoke with Patrice Evra recently and he also asked, ‘What happened when you were meant to sign for us? Sir Alex Ferguson was talking about you!’ I don’t know what happened in the end.
"I do think about it a lot. If I’d gone to the likes of Man United, who create more chances in a game, then I’d have scored even more goals. But for whatever reason, it just never happened."
Jamie Carragher of Liverpool in action with Jermain Defoe of Tottenham Hotspur during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at White Hart Lane on September 18, 2011 in London, England.
Liverpool twice tried to sign the striker from Spurs(Image: John Powell, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Speaking about his links with Liverpool, Defoe continued: "It is frustrating though, because whenever I talk to some of the boys that played for these big clubs, they all say that they wanted me to come. I got offers from Liverpool twice. I think Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher were involved in that, while Kenny Dalglish was manager.
"I also got a call from an agent who wanted to take me to Juventus, but I’d already agreed to go back to Tottenham under Harry Redknapp in 2009."
Despite never fulfilling his dream of playing for one of the big clubs, Defoe forged an outstanding career at West Ham, Spurs, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth. He netted 162 Premier League goals - placing him 10th on the all-time scoring charts.
Yet, in stark contrast to Ferguson's trophy-laden United sides and Gerrard-led Liverpool, major honours passed him by, with only the League Cup in 2008 to show for his efforts in English football.
Get YOUR Liverpool FC Newsletter