Whenever the transfer window opens up players on the fringes of the first team are always faced with the question whether to stick or twist, and though he admits he considered his options, Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert wasn’t ready to give up on his dream of representing the Reds.
“I got a phone call from the gaffer saying Aston Villa had come in. He said he didn’t want me to go. He basically offered me the chance if I wanted to play football, which is fair enough. The phone call was about four o’clock on that day. I spoke to my agent, I spoke to my wife, spoke to Aston Villa and it was close” explained the 33-year old in an interview with the official website. “But it was something I just couldn’t do. It was too short notice. I’m at Liverpool and I didn’t want to leave after six months. That’s something I might have looked back on when I’d retired and regretted more than anything really.”
The Merseyside native has not only had only a few chances to impress since moving from Southampton in the summer, but he’s had a bit of a tough go of it with only a pair of Premier League goals to his name in 18-appearances — 13 of those from the bench — for the club. With Daniel Sturridge back in the starting eleven and Mario Balotelli finally starting to find some form, chances could be even further between for the veteran hit-man, but Lambert is under no allusions about his first team chances — though he’s ready to take them when they come up.
“I knew I wasn’t going to stay and start playing and start being the main striker, but I knew that there would still be moments – and there are going to be even more moments coming up where I can help the team and hopefully get a few more goals and memories” he continued. “It was something that I would have probably looked back at a few years down the line and regretted if I moved too early. It was nothing [negative] towards Aston Villa. They’re a very good club and it was very close.”
