Gareth Barry has opened up about his failed move from Aston Villa to Liverpool in 2008, revealing the details of the transfer saga and why he eventually chose Manchester City.
The former Everton midfielder was the subject of intense interest from Liverpool during the summer of 2008. Barry made his desire to play Champions League football publicly known and criticised manager Martin O'Neill for not trying to keep him. However, Villa rejected multiple bids from the Reds, leaving Barry frustrated.
Transfer frustration and fallout with O'Neill
Reflecting on the period, Barry said on All Out Football's In The Mixer: "It was a tough period of time. [I] fell out with Martin O'Neill for a period of time. It leaves a sour taste because you're getting told they're 100% going to get the deal done."
He added: "And this was my first real experience of a transfer. I was an experienced football player but transfers, I didn't really know how they worked. It leaves a sour taste when you get told that the deal is going to be done."
Barry explained that the situation went beyond football: "[You] start looking at houses, start looking at schools for your children. You're thinking, 'Wow, this is serious. I'm going to be leaving Aston Villa and playing for another football club.'"
Choosing Man City over Liverpool and Arsenal
Barry eventually patched things up with O'Neill and regained the captain's armband he had been stripped of during the saga. But when his exit materialised the following summer, it was not to Merseyside.
"There was still interest from the same teams - Liverpool, Arsenal," he said. "And then all of a sudden Man City came from nowhere."
Barry noted that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger asked him to wait, but he was not willing to do so. He also addressed the narrative that his departure was linked to Xabi Alonso's exit from Liverpool: "Liverpool, they were talking about me playing sometimes left midfield, sometimes left-back, and there was no talk of replacing [Xabi] Alonso. A lot of people, Liverpool fans, always come up to me and say, 'It's your fault Alonso left!' No, it wasn't. There was no talk about Alonso leaving."
Financial offers and legacy
Barry dismissed claims that he joined City for money, insisting his contracts at Liverpool and Arsenal were identical. "The conversation I had with Liverpool and Arsenal at the time, the contracts were exactly the same," he said. "It wasn't a case of joining Man City for the money. Liverpool and Arsenal both were saying we can match the contracts."
He added: "So yeah, it was Man City that excited me more, that probably would help my England career, and [I was] going to be playing regularly rather than a bit. Looking back, it was a risk but the right choice."
Barry spent four years at City, winning the FA Cup in 2011 and the Premier League title the following season. He then joined Everton, initially on loan, and finished his career with 53 England caps and the most Premier League appearances of any player in history. That record stood until James Milner surpassed it last season prior to his retirement.
