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Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina claims the club blocked him from making a £20million move to Arsenal in the summer of 2010.

Reina admits he was tempted to leave Merseyside after returning from Spain's victorious World Cup campaign last year to find the Reds in a downward spiral.

Manager Rafa Benitez had been sacked, while director Christian Purslow was desperately seeking new owners to replace Tom Hicks and George Gillett as the club struggled under a financial crisis.

Blocked

The Spaniard's head was turned by the Gunners but says Liverpool rejected their £20m bid and stopped him from making a switch to North London because they feared his exit would dissuade potential buyers.

"I went from elation one minute to depression the next as the realisation dawned that Liverpool were going nowhere fast," said Reina in his new autobiography.

"Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper. Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart."

Pepe Reina

Quotes of the week

"When I signed my contract in April 2010 I hoped that better times were just around the corner, a feeling that was fuelled by the promises of improvement from people at the club.

"It didn't take me long to feel that their promises were hollow. I felt betrayed. Our owners were at war with each other, the club's debts were spiralling out of control and a change in manager had failed to dispel the feeling that we were on the road to nowhere.

"Arsenal had made their determination to sign me clear by offering £20m, a phenomenal amount for a goalkeeper. Part of me felt that I was well within my rights to consider my future even if I did so with a heavy heart.

"When Liverpool received the bid, they rejected it. This was not because I had been told that I was too good a keeper to leave. The reason I was given was quite different - and it left me feeling down. I was told that my continued presence was crucial to the sale of the club. I was simply a bargaining chip in the sales process.

"I still don't know what to think of Purslow because I understand he was there to look for new owners and to try to sell the club but ultimately he was making big football decisions that he was not qualified to make."

Reina made no secret of the fact he wanted Hicks and Gillett out ahead of Fenway Sports Group's takeover of the club last October.

The 29-year-old admits he would have liked fans favourites Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher to have joined him in getting behind the supporters' protests to oust the American owners.

Objector

"I was probably one of the loudest objectors because I believed it was important the supporters knew I was with them," he said.

"All I wanted the owners to do was sell up to people who could take the club forward, so I said so.

"The way I saw it, Stevie and Carra are the two principle members of our squad, the ones who the people love and if they had said something maybe it would have put Hicks and Gillett under real pressure."

"But in their view, it was more important to try to keep things as normal as possible."

skysports.com

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See I'd agree, but the thing is, a year ago Wenger didnt think Szczesny was ready or he wouldn't have moved on to Schwarzer after Reina was blocked, then reverted back to Manuel for him to fuck up again, then replace him with Lukasz, and then finally give it to Szczesny but only after Lukasz got injured.

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Lukasz made mistakes, but yes just before his injury he had began to finally grow into the role.

I've always felt Szczesny wouldn't be ready fully until 2012/13 and that Lukasz would play until then. The reality is Szczesny has taken his chance and is the #1, Szczesny makes mistakes too, the key difference is tho, Szczesny feels he's better than the 4 defenders infront of him and gives them confidence where as I dont think Lukasz does the same.

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Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabiański believes he can overthrow his compatriot Wojciech Szczesny as the club's No.1, but admits he will consider leaving the club in January if his situation doesn't change.

The 26-year-old Polish stopper returned to first-team action for the Gunners in the Carling Cup victory over Shrewsbury Town, after a spell of almost nine months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

"That injury brought me back to the beginning," Fabianski explained. "It hurts, because I was No.1 and I lost that place not through poor form but through injury, which didn't let me play for 9 months.

"I have to fight from the beginning now and I think I can win it. Wojciech [szczesny] wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for that incident in January. I can't complain though, that's football."

Arsene Wenger has publicly stated that Szczesny is now his first-choice stopper, which means Fabianski may be forced to leave the Emirates Stadium because he believes his Euro 2012 ambitions are being blighted by a lack of regular football at Arsenal.

"I know that if my situation doesn't change by January, I will be thinking about it [leaving Arsenal]," he continued. "I'd have to, because I want to go to the Euros.

"That's the only way I can convince the national team coach – by playing well and regularly.

"[but] I don't want to think about this now, because we have couple of months until the transfer window. Until then all I can do is work hard in training and take the chances I get."

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Jerzy Dudek may have turned out over 120 times for Liverpool during his six year stint in England, but the retired goalkeeper has now revealed how he almost joined Premier League rivals Arsenal instead.

'I was in talks with Wenger. It was basically all agreed. I came back to Feyenoord with hope that the clubs will agree a fee, but Feyenoord wanted £10 million pounds and Wenger was only willing to give £7 million,' said the shot-stopper.

The transfer ultimately fell through, but shortly after, Houllier snatched Dudek from under Arsenal's noses, for well under the asking price.

'Two months later Liverpool bought me for £5 million. That’s when Wenger contacted me and my agent and asked why didn’t Feyenoord sell me for £7 million earlier but accepted £5 million from Liverpool. I was very close to playing for the team, the team which won a lot of trophies,' he added.

Arsenal's failure to bag Dudek meant Wenger turned to Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright, paying a reported £6 million for the prospect, who would go on to be considered one of the Frenchman's biggest flop signings.

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Dudek was sick at Feyenoord when Houllier signed him and Kirkland at the same time the silly English media thought Dudek would be back up for Kirkland.

He started so well at Liverpool then he started making mistakes just like Westerveld did before him but I don't rate Dudek as a person

/

Richard Wright see Ben Foster !

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Jerzy Dudek may have turned out over 120 times for Liverpool during his six year stint in England, but the retired goalkeeper has now revealed how he almost joined Premier League rivals Arsenal instead.

'I was in talks with Wenger. It was basically all agreed. I came back to Feyenoord with hope that the clubs will agree a fee, but Feyenoord wanted £10 million pounds and Wenger was only willing to give £7 million,' said the shot-stopper.

The transfer ultimately fell through, but shortly after, Houllier snatched Dudek from under Arsenal's noses, for well under the asking price.

'Two months later Liverpool bought me for £5 million. That’s when Wenger contacted me and my agent and asked why didn’t Feyenoord sell me for £7 million earlier but accepted £5 million from Liverpool. I was very close to playing for the team, the team which won a lot of trophies,' he added.

Arsenal's failure to bag Dudek meant Wenger turned to Ipswich Town goalkeeper Richard Wright, paying a reported £6 million for the prospect, who would go on to be considered one of the Frenchman's biggest flop signings.

That same bollocks there. When we sold Vieira, how much was we quoted for Jenas? And how much did he eventually move to Spurs for?

I don't know who's negotiating, but SOMEONE needs to come and sort this sh*t out. You might as well sticky this thread, I reckon if we back logged and going back as far as the Cristiano Ronaldo saga this would be a PLATINUM topic.

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