Cesc Fabregas once admitted that Xabi Alonso was “begging” to leave Liverpool in order to join him at Arsenal.
The former Gunners skipper was desperate for his international team-mate to join him in north London with Reds boss Rafael Benitez willing to let the Spaniard leave the club. Despite endearing himself to Liverpool supporters in the five years he was at Anfield, Alonso, 42, was hoping to join their rivals in the summer of 2009.
Fabregas, 36, opened up about how close the move actually got as he lamented Arsenal’s hierarchy for not doing enough to secure the signature of the Basque native, who ended up joining Real Madrid later on in the transfer window.
“I was with Xabi on the phone the whole summer,” Fabregas told Arseblog in 2020. “He was dying to come. He was literally begging everyone to go to Arsenal, he really wanted to come”. Fabregas – who left Arsenal in 2012 to join boyhood club Barcelona – admitted he did his “best” to make sure Alonso became a Gunner.
“And to be honest, I did my best. I spoke to who I had to speak to. I gave my opinion, I thought that he was a fantastic addition for us at that time,” he added.
Fabregas stated that he was displeased with the lack of effort from Arsenal to sign Alonso, adding that it was “so easy” for them to do. “And yeah I have to say that a couple of times like that I was frustrated by the lack of push, the final push – you know what I mean? That it’s so close, the player is dying to come, it’s so easy to make this deal,” he remarked.
The midfield maestro ended up spending five years at the Spanish giants, where he won a second Champions League title in 2014. Fabregas’ admission will leave Arsenal fans wondering just how successful they could have been with the two Spaniards controlling the game from midfield.
He continued: “And it was a shame, because I think he would have been a great, great, great addition to that team. He was made for Arsenal, I think.”
