Some Liverpool mysteries will never be fully unraveled. Among them is the 2008 transfer saga that almost saw Xabi Alonso leave and Gareth Barry arrive — but Rafa Benitez has finally shed some light on that situation .
More than a decade and a half down the line, the way that summer played out has a farcical whiff to it. Alonso, of course, went on to cement himself as one of the generation's finest midfielders at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich , while Barry enjoyed a steadier career that would ultimately take him to Everton rather than Liverpool.
Of course, Barry is the record Premier League appearance holder ( James Milner will hope to topple him this season), and was an important early signing as Manchester City began to build its empire. He deserves more than being the punchline of the Alonso transfer drama.
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Giorgi Mamardashvili deal, Sepp van den Berg fee, Gomez to Chelsea
READ MORE: Martin Zubimendi can follow in footsteps of 'idol' with Liverpool transfer U-turn
Even so, it is hard to fathom why Benitez came so close to losing Alonso in his pursuit of Barry. And Jamie Carragher is one of many who thinks that the situation ultimately led to the Liverpool midfielder's departure for Real Madrid the following year.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet , Benitez addressed that theory. He was keen to stress that tight budgets prompted the interest in a flexible player like Barry:
“Xabi Alonso is a very good player, a very clever person, and someone that is right," he insisted. "When we went for Gareth Barry, it was because he could play in three different positions and then we needed to sell.
"Xabi had an agreement; he was talking with one club and had an agreement. The year after, we played Standard de Liège for a Champions League qualifier and we had Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva in the Olympic Games, Steven Gerrard had a lower back problem, so we had to play [Damien] Plessis and Xabi.
"Xabi had an agreement with Arsenal and didn’t want to get cup tied. I told you [Carragher] and Gerrard before the game that he had an agreement and doesn’t want to play, but he must because it is the most important game to qualify for the Champions League.
"Then when you [Carragher] were going out for the warm-ups, you said, "Poor Xabi." Not poor Xabi, he is playing for our club at this time. During the season he was our best player and didn’t go to Arsenal because he had to play [for us]."
Benitez, then, credits his own decision to play Alonso against Standard Liege as the reason why Liverpool was able to hang onto him for an extra season — his best at Anfield . Far from being to blame for the breakup of that team's elite spine, the manager believes he kept it together for as long as possible in the circumstances.
A recurring theme of his comments across the episode is Liverpool's uncompetitive budget during his time there. That, ultimately, goes a long way towards explaining the Barry and Alonso saga, although Benitez will never stop fans from wondering what might have been if the relationship with his compatriot midfielder had been more convincingly rebuilt.
Liverpool.com says: It's fascinating to hear Benitez and Carragher discuss these things so many years on. Losing Alonso certainly hurt — but at least he didn't end up at Arsenal!
And regardless of what exactly happened when Liverpool pursued Barry, it's probably true that Alonso's departure was a matter of time anyway. It's a shame the impressive 2008/09 season could not change his mind, but the club was hurtling towards its crisis years.
Most Popular
Comments / 0