One Liverpool defender, who Jurgen Klopp has previously labelled as ‘sensational’ (as quoted by Liverpoolfc.com), has admitted he was close to joining RB Leipzig instead of the Reds back in 2015.
The Anfield outfit signed Joe Gomez from Charlton in a deal worth £3.5m but the London-born centre half visited Germany but both he and his family didn’t feel that the move was right for him at the time.
He instead made the decision to move to Merseyside where he’s won every major trophy possible and is now the club’s longest serving player.
“In the January [of 2015], I went to Red Bull Leipzig,” Gomez told On The Judy Podcast (via Metro).
“I had only played half a season, they were still in the Bundesliga 2. In hindsight, they are a great club but I wasn’t ready.
“I went with my mum, my dad and my missus wasn’t feeling it either. I knew I wasn’t ready, but the opportunity to go came up.
“If you play in Germany [today], the likelihood is you’re coming back. At the time, for me, there weren’t many examples of that yet. Maybe today I would be like, ‘wow, this is the way’.”
Gomez admitted that there was also interest in his signature from Bournemouth and Aston Villa at the time, but following a conversation with then Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers it was a straightforward decision for him.
The England international added: “I met Brendan [Rodgers] and I always had a soft spot for Liverpool. As a club, it had a warmth to it. I met Brendan and he was a likeable person.”
He may not be a regular starter under Klopp but he’s more than capable of doing a job when needed, whether that be as a central defender or as a full-back.
Players such as Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho have all thrived after leaving England for Germany as youngsters so it would’ve been interesting to see how Gomez would’ve fared had he made the switch to Saxony.
Fabio Carvalho is currently on loan from Liverpool at RB Leipzig so let’s hope he can benefit from his time in the Undesligfa.