Joe Gomez has revealed he rejected the chance to join RB Leipzig prior to signing for Liverpool.
Now 26, Gomez is the Reds’ longest-serving first-team player, having signed from Charlton Athletic for £3.5m in the summer of 2015.
The versatile defender has gone on to make 182 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions and was key in the 2019/20 Premier League title-winning season.
After struggling to regain his best form following serious injury in 2020/21, Gomez has started the current campaign strongly, featuring nine times in all competitions for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
However, it could’ve been completely different for the defender, who had options on the table prior to his Anfield move.
“In the January [of 2015], I went to Red Bull Leipzig,” the centre-back told the On the Judy Podcast.
“I had only played half a season, they were still in the Bundesliga 2. In hindsight, they are a great club but I wasn’t ready. I went with my mum, my dad and my missus wasn’t feeling it either. I knew I wasn’t ready, but the opportunity to go came up.
“If you play in Germany [now], the likelihood is you’re coming back. At the time, for me, there weren’t many examples of that yet. Maybe today I would be like, ‘wow, this is the way’.”
As well as interest from Leipzig, Gomez also revealed that two other English sides were in the mix for his signature, but Brendan Rodgers helped get the deal over the line for Liverpool.
“In the summer, there was Liverpool, Bournemouth and Villa, those were the three main options,” he added.
“They are just contrasting roots, at the time they [Bournemouth] had Eddie Howe, a great gaffer, and it was a big decision. I met Brendan and I always had a soft spot for Liverpool. As a club, it had a warmth to it. I met Brendan and he was a likeable person.”
While Gomez found early favour under Rodgers at the start of the 2015/16 season, the Northern Irish coach was sacked in October, with Klopp coming in.
An ACL injury on international duty ended Gomez’s season and stopped him from establishing himself in Klopp’s early plans. The slow recovery meant the defender only featured three times in the following campaign, but he battled back to become a squad regular from 2017.
Elsewhere in the podcast, he described Klopp as like ‘a father figure’.
“I think he [Klopp] knows what the team thinks of him,” Gomez said. “There are time when he’s had conversations with me like a father figure more than just a gaffer.
“Obviously there are times when you’re not playing and you’re frustrated but fundamentally, I’m always going to be indebted.”
