Former Newcastle player who once made a $30 million deal acknowledges he had talks to join Liverpool
Moussa Sissoko, a former midfielder for Newcastle United, has stated that he previously discussed a move to Anfield with Liverpool.
Sissoko has played a noteworthy role in Liverpool’s recent history. In the 2019 Champions League final, he was the player for Tottenham Hotspur who conceded the early penalty that Mohamed Salah scored.
However, the Frenchman, who currently plays for Nantes in Ligue 1, claims he was close to joining the Reds years before all of that happened.
When Sissoko was previewing Thursday night’s Liverpool vs. Toulouse match for the French publication La Depeche, he was questioned about if he would ever be able to play for the Reds.
The 34-year-old acknowledged, “In any case, there had been talks [with Liverpool], before I turned professional at Toulouse.” The rest is known to you.
The rest appears to be that Sissoko decided to remain at Toulouse, where he made his breakthrough in 2007 at the age of 18. After joining Newcastle six years later, he moved to Spurs in 2016 for a reported £30 million. The former France international has returned home with Nantes following a brief stint at Watford. He did not join Liverpool at all.
Reds negotiations revealed by Sissoko
Thinking back to when Sissoko claimed to have spoken with Liverpool, it’s a bit surreal.
He even included a photo of himself playing for Toulouse during their lone prior game against the Reds in his interview with La Depeche. That occurred in a Champions League qualifying match back in 2007.
Sissoko is seen in the photo taking aim at Javier Mascherano, who was in charge of Liverpool’s midfield at the time.
If Sissoko had accepted the offer from the Reds, he would have been competing for a spot in Rafael Benitez’s midfield with players like Mascherano, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, and another Sissoko named Momo. That was a very long time ago.
It’s not surprising that Sissoko chose to remain in Toulouse in the end given that fierce competition.
Liverpool probably wished they had signed him when he was younger, considering the career he went on to have. He never was a very excellent midfield player, but he did have a successful Premier League career and 71 caps for France.
He’s actually lining up beside Pedro Chirivella, a Spaniard who captained the team, a former midfielder for the Reds, now that he plays for Nantes.
Maybe he might ask Pedro to tell him tales of Anfield and the possibilities.
