Speaking on the All To Play For Podcast, Stewart Downing has been discussing his move to Liverpool and how he almost joined Arsenal instead.
The left-winger was one of English football’s hottest properties back in 2011 after a fantastic spell with Aston Villa, and eventually, his great form earned him a move to Anfield.
However, according to Downing, he could’ve gone to Arsenal instead, stating that he was told late on by Damien Comolli that the Gunners were in for him.
What’s been said?
Downing discussed his move to Liverpool.
“It happened after that January window, Kenny had come in and they’d signed Andy and Suarez, and come the summer they wanted to get me in. Right at the very end it was Damien Comolli who told me that Arsenal wanted me, because he knew Wenger, but Nasri had to be sold for the money to come in because that’s the way Wenger worked. Nasri didn’t leave until the very end of the window, so that probably would have fallen through for me,” Downing said.
Sliding doors moment
This is a real sliding doors moment for Downing, and we can only wonder how things would have turned out if he’d headed to the Emirates rather than Anfield.
Arsenal were in a much better position than Liverpool around that time, and while Downing didn’t find his best form on Merseyside, he could’ve flourished in north London under Arsene Wenger.
Of course, it’s all hypothetical, but there’s reason to believe that Downing would have more than 35 England caps to his name if he headed to Arsenal in the summer of 2011.
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