Glen Johnson has been speaking about his decision to join Liverpool in the summer of 2009 and has explained how two former Reds stars played a huge role in convincing him to move to Merseyside ahead of other clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City.
The former England international was signed by Rafa Benitez after Liverpool were pipped to the Premier League title by Manchester United and he’s explained how some former Anfield favourites played a huge role in his move to L4.
“If a club like Liverpool comes knocking, you obviously immediately have an eye on it and an interest,” Johnson told the Liverpool ECHO in November 2021. “But what swung it was we played for England that summer, just before I signed, and I had a good chat with Stevie (Gerrard).
“And then I spoke to Torres and Alonso as well before signing. I just thought these were some of the best players in the world. They don’t need to phone me but they were phoning me to let me know how much they wanted me to join. Straight away, I felt like I knew them and it made me feel super welcome before I signed and everything just felt right.”
It’s perhaps no surprise to hear that Steven Gerrard did his bit in helping us complete a deal for our former No. 2 but what is interesting is the fact that both Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres got involved.
The two Spaniards didn’t even know the former West Ham, Chelsea and Portsmouth man but they clearly felt they had a duty as some of the more important members our squad to share a conversation with Johnson.
The 38-year-old didn’t enjoy as much success as he would’ve hoped for when joining the club but was a part of the Liverpool squad that won the League Cup under Sir Kenny Dalglish in 2012 and came close to winning the Premier League title two years later under Brendan Rodgers.
The Englishman made a total of 200 appearances for the club before joining Stoke City in 2015.