Rafael Benitez names two players he tried to sign for Liverpool including Barcelona legend

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Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez recently disclosed that during his tenure at the club, he came close to signing Dani Alves, the Brazilian superstar who made his name playing for Barcelona.

Speaking on the Official Liverpool FC Podcast (via HITC), Benitez shared his experiences at the club and discussed the various transfer decisions he had to make while operating with limited finances.

Although he had limited funds at his disposal, Benitez had to make difficult decisions about which players to sign.

He explained that one such decision was between Dani Alves, who was available for a relatively modest fee of £10 million at the time, and Dirk Kuyt, who ultimately proved to be a fan favorite.

While Alves was a right full-back, Kuyt was versatile and could play as a striker, second striker, or right winger. Ultimately, Benitez chose Kuyt because he felt that he offered more flexibility and value to the team.

“I was looking for a right-winger. We didn’t have the money. We had Dani Alves there, he was around £10m and he was a right full-back, you have to make a decision to go for a player who can play as a striker, a second striker and a winger, or you have to go for a full-back, a Brazilian and play him as a winger. It’s a big risk and you have to make a decision depending on the context.”

Benitez also revealed that he tried to sign Jovetic from Fiorentina, who was available for £16 million at the time. However, the owners blocked the move due to financial constraints.

“I wanted to sign Jovetic. He was playing for Fiorentina and the price was £16m.

“In my head, with my budget, I had the money. And then when I went to sign him I was told ‘no, you don’t have the money’.

“Then we played against Fiorentina, we lost 2-0, Jovetic scored two goals. This was the player that I wanted.

“These are the kind of things that fans don’t know. As a manager, you have to make decisions depending on the money available.”

 

Benitez ended up signing Kuyt over Alves who went on to become a fan favourite at Liverpool

Despite the financial limitations, Benitez enjoyed success during his time at Liverpool. Under his leadership, the team won the Champions League in 2005 in what is now known as the famous Istanbul comeback.

They reached the finals again in 2007 but lost to AC Milan. In the 2008/2009 season, they came agonizingly close to winning the Premier League title but were ultimately beaten by Manchester United.

Benitez’s time at Liverpool was considered a success, and he remains popular among fans to this day. His ability to operate under financial constraints and make astute transfer decisions has been widely praised, and he is regarded as one of the most successful managers in the club’s history.

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