Liverpool signed Fernando Morientes from Real Madrid back in 2005 but only after Premier League rivals Arsenal were priced out of a potential deal, former Northern Ireland international and La Liga forward Gerry Armstrong tells talkSPORT (26 January. 1.50pm).
Who knows how Morientes’ career in English football would have panned out had he joined Arsenal rather than Liverpool?
The three-time Champions League winner scored just eight times in the top-flight under compatriot Rafa Benitez; the then-Reds boss highlighting Morientes’ lack of physicality and his inability to make an impact outside of the penalty area as two of the main reasons why the Spain international disappointed on Merseyside (RTE).
A prolific goalscorer at Real Madrid and Monaco, however, Morientes may have been a far better fit in an Arsenal team boasting some of the most creative forwards in European football at the time.
Armstrong knew Morientes like the back of his hand after commentating on the Los Blancos hero during Sky Sports’ Spanish football coverage. And, when Arsenal looked to tap into his knowledge of La Liga, the Extremadura-born poacher was one of the names Armstrong ‘recommended’ to Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal could not afford Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes
“(Former Arsenal assistant coach) Pat Rice was my mate. Pat used to phone me up and we’d talk about different players,” Armstrong recalls.
“One day he phoned and said; ‘Why don’t you come down for lunch with Arsene? He wants to pick your brains on a couple of players’.
“There’s two players I recommended (to Arsenal). I recommended Morientes. (Wenger) was looking for a targetman, and I said Morientes.
“Arsene wouldn’t budge. When I found out his wages and told Arsene, he said; ‘That’s outside (our means)’.”
It’s story as old as time, as far as Arsenal supporters are concerned; The Gunners missing out on one of Europe’s finest talents due to what some fans perceived to be a lack of ambition in the transfer market.
Morientes would return to his Spanish homeland after two rather forgettable seasons at Liverpool. He joined Valencia before ending his career with Marseille in 2010.
“My best moment (at Liverpool) the first day,” Morientes tells the Daily Mail. “I saw a really important club; the history, the atmosphere, everything that all the people told me about before. It was amazing to sign with Liverpool.
“For me, it was, and is, the best club in the Premier League and in the history of England.”
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