Former Premier League midfielder Lee Bowyer has revealed he was ‘halfway through a medical’ at Liverpool before backing out of a transfer from Leeds United.
The England international, who spent the majority of his career at Elland Road, claimed not joining Gerard Houllier’s side was ‘my biggest regret in football’.
The 46-year-old went onto sign for West Ham after leaving Leeds but that move lasted just six months before he completed a switch to Newcastle United.
“I was very close [to joining Liverpool] – I was halfway through a medical but it just didn’t feel right for me at the time,” Bowyer exclusively told MNF Retro (via Daily Star).
“That is my biggest regret in football not going to Liverpool at that time,” he admitted. “If I could’ve turned the clock back I would’ve gone. Looking back, I made the wrong decision. I knew my time was coming to an end at Leeds due to a few things behind the scenes that didn’t sit well with me so I knew it was my time to go.”
He added: “I thought doing another five years up north being a long way away from my family after doing six years at Leeds didn’t sit right but after all that I ended up going to Newcastle which is even further away, so it makes no sense!
The midfielder has since began a career in management with Charlton Athletic, Birmingham City and now currently in charge of the Montserrat national team.
It’s interesting to hear him reveal how close he was to joining the Reds almost 20 years on from his failed transfer and it’s quite clearly a huge regret of Bowyer’s that he didn’t complete a move to Merseyside.
The 46-year-old may very well have been a part of the Liverpool side that won the Champions League under Rafa Benitez in 2005 had he went ahead with his transfer to L4 – but hindsight is a wonderful thing!
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