Joe Gomez admits he came close to leaving Liverpool last summer but is delighted that he ended up staying at Anfield.
The England defender was on the brink of joining Newcastle United for £45million ($57.4m) in June with winger Anthony Gordon set to head in the opposite direction for £75m.
Each deal was dependent on the other but Newcastle pulled the plug at the eleventh hour after deciding not to sell Gordon, having raised the £60m they needed to satisfy the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) by off-loading Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton instead.
The future of Liverpool’s longest serving player remained uncertain until the end of the window after starting the season as Arne Slot’s fourth-choice centre-back.
Asked how close he came to moving on, Gomez said: “Yeah, it was definitely for real.
“But my focus was always on the club. I know how blessed I am to be here. It will be 10 years next summer. I don’t take that for granted.
“It is the best club in the world in my eyes and (after the transfer didn’t happen) it was quickly a case of adapting and getting right back into the swing of things.
“It was quickly put to bed. That’s football. I am a big believer in focusing on the present. To be somewhere nearly 10 years and not have any blips would not be natural, which probably speaks about my ambition.”
Gomez has had to be patient this season. His only starts before December had come in the Carabao Cup. However, since Ibrahima Konate damaged his knee against Real Madrid, he has been picked ahead of Jarell Quansah to partner captain Virgil van Dijk at centre-back for the past three matches.
The 27-year-old impressed in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Girona in the Champions League and is enjoying being part of a team leading the way both domestically and in Europe.
“I believe things happen for a reason,” he added.
“It is a pleasure to be part of such a great group and we obviously have such a good foundation to hopefully achieve something this year. That is what you want to be part of. I love being here. I love the club.
“As a player, you always want to play so you have to just try and be ready. In many ways, I am used to it having had many ups and downs, but you relish playing and having the opportunity to be in the team.
“It is tricky (not playing) because you don’t know when the chance will come or under what circumstances, what position, and so forth. But I’m a big believer in just controlling what I can and focusing on being the best professional I can be.”
Gomez, who cost Liverpool £6m from Charlton Athletic in 2015, has had to adapt to Slot’s brand of football with more responsibility on the shoulders of the centre-backs to help launch attacks.
“It’s a process from a tactical standpoint. It is definitely not as straightforward as just seeing a pass and playing it,” he explained.
“A lot of it is about how we can get three-v-twos around the the pitch and try not to overload on one side. Just because the pass is on, it doesn’t mean you should play it, just wait on the ball a bit more. It has been great to learn. You just want to get better and improve as a player and the coach is helping me and the rest of the boys to do that.
“Arne is constantly reminding us that we cannot get complacent. The coaching staff and the gaffer’s attention to detail is second to none. I think even when we come in at half-time sometimes when things are not going our way, the ability to adapt in certain situations and guide us in the right way is so good.”
Gomez was part of the England squad for the 2022 European Championship but hasn’t been selected since. He is hoping his form for Liverpool leads to an international recall under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
“Of course but fundamentally this is the platform for me,” he said. “Whatever comes from that, comes from that. I just want to enjoy playing.
“It is still early in the season. We have not done anything yet. We have got a platform but it is nothing if we do not capitalise on it. I know everything stems from this at Liverpool and that is all that matters to me.”
Only two players in Liverpool’s history have clocked up more appearances than Gomez’s tally of 235 without scoring. He went close against Girona with a header which was tipped over the bar.
“I can’t say I have a celebration happened — it depends on the goal!” Gomez added. “But going up for corners is a big thing. That is one thing that has hindered me this whole time as I was never up for them so my odds have been boosted now.”
(Dan Mullan/Getty Images))
