'I regret my Liverpool transfer saga after getting fined following Rafael Benitez phone calls'

Gareth Barry’s transfer saga will forever remain a sore spot for Liverpool fans – especially since the Reds didn’t even end up getting their man.

It does seem fitting to reflect on Liverpool’s chase for the former England midfielder this week, with Aston Villa visiting Anfield later today just a few days after Xabi Alonso made his return to Merseyside.

Barry was of course lined up as a potential replacement for the Spaniard by Rafael Benitez, despite Alonso being a firm favorite among supporters. To say the Reds’ pursuit of Barry didn’t go well would be an understatement.

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Liverpool’s interest first emerged in the summer of 2008, when a then-27-year-old Barry was making a name for himself at Villa. Speaking to the Claret & Blue podcast in 2020, Barry lifted the lid on his failed move to Anfield.

“There was interest from Liverpool in the press," he explained. "Martin O’Neill knew about it. He was quite clever, I remember, he put me up in front of the press - these are the games that go on in football. I didn’t know what was coming, the first question was what my thoughts were on Liverpool, the Champions League.

"Me, who’d never experienced a transfer really, I sort of said the right things as you would, and that was it really. So, I go away, finish the season and there’s bids now coming in from Liverpool.

“I’m speaking to Martin, I’m asking if the club was going to accept the offer, and to be fair to Martin, he said if the money’s right then I could go, but it’s got to be a certain amount. Liverpool couldn’t afford what Villa wanted, and to me, I was like, ‘Fair enough, if they can’t afford me then I’m gonna carry on playing’."

Liverpool ultimately wouldn’t get Barry, despite him being linked with throughout the summer, and the constant back and forth would only serve to unsettle both the former England international and Alonso. Just a year later, the Spaniard would make the move to Real Madrid, while Barry would end up moving to Manchester City instead.

In the end, a conversation with Benitez left Barry far from convinced on a move to Anfield. "Martin said 'Look, give me a year and then you can leave for a certain fee'.

“The whole Liverpool thing, it hurt me that they couldn't stump up the money the season before. Then a couple of phone calls with Rafa (Benitez) and he's talking about playing me the odd game at left midfield, left back and you know my head started to change. I'm thinking I'm not giving up the Villa captaincy, playing regularly to go and do that. I don't care if it's Champions League, I don't want to be a bit part of nothing.

“I got advised to do an interview, and I was told if I did something like that, trying to rock the boat, you’ll end up getting yourself out. I remember speaking to my parents, asking them: ‘What do you think?’, and I remember my parents saying no, it didn’t sound good. I was sticking up for my agent, saying he was experienced in this role, and maybe they didn’t know what they were talking about. I ended up doing that interview which got me some bad headlines and definitely one thing I regret doing.

"Looking back now, I think why the hell did I do that? But I was in a transfer saga, my first ever experience, my head was frazzled because I don’t deal with all the media attention too well - it’s something I’d rather not have. It all gets blown up."