Liverpool cancelled Dani Alves transfer to complete Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant deals instead, admits ex-chief Rick Parry
Reds came close to completing £8million deal for right-back in 2006 but ultimately decided he wasn't worth the price
LIVERPOOL came close to landing Dani Alves in 2006 – but pulled out of a deal to sign Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant instead.
That’s according to former chief executive Rick Parry, who claims that the Reds could not justify spending £8million on a full-back two years before Alves’ move to Barcelona.
The Brazilan, who has just signed for Paris Saint-Germain, is regarded as one of football’s top defenders and was arguably the best right-back in the world during his time at the Nou Camp.
Alves was expected to finally test himself in the Premier League with a free transfer to Manchester City this summer.
But he could have already experienced a spell in England had Liverpool not put the skids on a deal to sign him from Sevilla 11 years ago.
Talking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Parry admitted the club had doubts that Alves warranted an £8m transfer fee – but concedes he would have turned out to be a better signing than the double capture of flops Crouch and Pennant.
Parry said: “We had the deal – finally after enormous complications – tied up for Dani Alves, and then the decision was ‘should we buy two players or should we spend all of that on a full-back?’
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“Alves was not the player then that he is now, but he always looked like he would be a great player.
“Would he have been a better signing than Pennant and Crouch? Probably yes, but it’s easy with hindsight.”