'Liverpool's owners stopped me joining Arsenal for £20m – it left me feeling let down'

While Pepe Reina volition spell down successful Liverpool past arsenic being 1 of the club's astir legendary changeable stoppers, helium would person jumped vessel to Premier League rivals Arsenal if he'd had his way

Pepe Reina has antecedently explained that his disappointment erstwhile Liverpool wouldn't fto him permission for Arsenal.

The 42-year-old Spaniard volition spell down successful the annals of past arsenic 1 of Anfield's astir legendary changeable stoppers, keeping 177 cleanable sheets successful 394 appearances for the Reds betwixt 2005 and 2014. However, Reina has antecedently admitted that helium wanted distant from the nine erstwhile times were pugnacious down the scenes.

Speaking successful his 2011 autobiography, Reina explained that helium was connected the verge of leaving the nine connected 3 abstracted occasions nether the reign of American businessmen Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Dubbed 1 of Liverpool's astir arguable periods successful the club's 132 twelvemonth history, Hicks' and Gillett's ownerships saw the Reds slump from Champions League challengers towards the little reaches of the array aft a troubled narration with then-manager Rafa Benitez.

Troubles deepened erstwhile Hicks and Gillett fell retired and an abundance of indebtedness pushed the nine to the brink of collapse. And Reina was unsettled by the situation, with hopes of moving connected to a much unchangeable club. The keeper was reportedly keen connected speaking with Arsene Wenger successful peculiar to wangle a £20million determination to Arsenal, but claims that the nine stopped him from leaving to forestall antagonistic signals reaching respective buyers.

Meanwhile, Benitez had reportedly talked Reina retired of leaving the nine for Valencia connected an earlier occasion, portion his woman did her champion to forestall him from making rash decisions successful the transportation windows. Speaking successful his book, Reina said of the fiasco: "I went from elation 1 infinitesimal to slump the adjacent arsenic the realisation dawned that Liverpool were going obscurity fast.

"When I signed my declaration successful April 2010 I hoped that amended times were conscionable astir the corner, a feeling that was fuelled by the promises of betterment from radical astatine the club. It didn't instrumentality maine agelong to consciousness that their promises were hollow. I felt betrayed.

"Our owners were astatine warfare with each other, the club's debts were spiralling retired of power and a alteration successful manager had failed to dispel the feeling that we were connected the roadworthy to nowhere. Arsenal had made their determination to motion maine wide by offering £20m, a phenomenal magnitude for a goalkeeper.

"Part of maine felt that I was good wrong my rights to see my aboriginal adjacent if I did truthful with a dense heart. When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not due to the fact that I had been told that I was excessively bully a keeper to leave. The crushed I was fixed was rather antithetic - and it near maine feeling down.

"I was told that my continued beingness was important to the merchantability of the club. I was simply a bargaining spot successful the income process." With protestors marching against Hicks and Gillett, they sold their controlling involvement to New England Sports Ventures successful October 2010.

And aft a agelong reflection period, Hicks told Sky Sports successful 2019 that helium regretted going into concern with Gillett. He said: "Absolutely I made immoderate mistakes, I did immoderate things that were precise bully besides but the biggest occupation I had was, I picked the incorrect partner." He besides admitted that helium tried to oust his concern spouse from the nine aft conscionable six months astatine the helm.

He continued: "We really agreed to portion ways but each clip I tried to get the wealth to bargain him retired thing would hap and helium was besides trying to bash the aforesaid to me, it was conscionable a precise mediocre partnership. I travelled each implicit the Middle East talking to a batch of people.

"Liverpool has specified immense enactment successful the Middle East successful peculiar and determination were respective times I thought I had a precise beardown caller spouse that could assistance america execute the plan." Reina did yet extremity up parting ways with the club, but not until helium had endured immoderate incredibly pugnacious and uncertain times astatine Anfield.

Reina made the determination to Bayern Munich successful 2014, earlier jumping vessel to Napoli the precise adjacent year. He signed with AC Milan successful 2018, earlier a determination to Lazio came successful 2020. Reina played for Villarreal betwixt 2022 and 2024, and is presently settled with Como - serving arsenic a backup to first-choice Emil Audero.

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