Jason McAteer has lifted the lid on the transfer saga that saw him choose Liverpool over Blackburn Rovers a decision that, he admits, left Kenny Dalglish far from pleased.
Many players would have dreamed about playing under Kenny Dalglish, but sometimes the club is more important than the manager.
The former Republic of Ireland international has revealed how he came within moments of joining Blackburn Rovers who launched a £9.5m bid for McAteer , then managed by Dalglish, before a late call from Anfield changed the course of his career.
McAteer began his football journey on Merseyside with Marine before moving to Bolton Wanderers for a modest £500 transfer fee in1995 and a bag of footballs. Within three years, his performances had caught the attention of several Premier League clubs including reigning champions Blackburn at the time.
In an interview with BBC Sport he confessed about those transfer discussions
“I was having talks with Blackburn,” McAteer recalled. “I was literally in the room with Kenny [Dalglish] when Liverpool rang my agent and he said they’d agreed the fee, I’m free to go and talk to Liverpool if I don’t sign for Blackburn.
“I mean, Kenny was my hero, but Liverpool was my team that I supported. So, I had an emotional attachment to both, but I wanted to be Kenny at Liverpool. I didn’t want to play for Kenny at Blackburn.”
For McAteer, there was never any doubt once Liverpool made their move. The chance to represent the club he had supported since childhood outweighed everything else even financial discussions.
“It was never a matter of how much they were paying me,” he said. “It was just a matter of when could I get started?
“When we were talking about money, I got up and walked out of the room. I went up and down the corridor in the Main Stand and just looked at all the photos on the wall. When I went back in, I didn’t even know how much we’d agreed. I didn’t even know how much I had signed for!”
Although McAteer never got the chance to smooth things over personally with Dalglish after the collapsed Blackburn move, he insists there were no hard feelings between himself and the Liverpool legend.
Ironically, he did end up signing for Blackburn four years later but under very different circumstances. By that time, the club had been relegated from the Premier League and Brian Kidd was in charge.
Reflecting on his decision, McAteer has no regrets. Playing for Liverpool was everything he had imagined.
“Roy [Evans] had built this young team, so we were all very similar ages,” he explained. “I instantly had respect because I’d been to the World Cup, and I felt part of it. I never necessarily felt I needed to show what I had. I just felt like I’d been there for ages.
“I’d been told that I was brought in to play in midfield with Jamie because Barnes wasn’t getting any younger and it was going to be a bit of a transitional thing. So, when I went on for Barnesy, it was a bit like ‘wow!’ I’ve come on for one of the greatest players ever to play football, at Anfield. It was a dream come true.”
McAteer went on to spend four seasons at Liverpool, making over 100 appearances and remaining a popular figure among supporters. In the years since retiring, he has continued to represent the club through media work with LFC TV and appearances in Liverpool Legends matches keeping his connection with supporters alive.
