Former Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer has revealed his regret about not joining Liverpool in 2003 – before his eventual move to St James’ Park just a few months later.
Bowyer spent three seasons playing for us between 2003-2006, scoring 11 goals in 98 games, but it could’ve all been very different.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football Retro, the current Charlton boss said:
“I was very close [to joining Liverpool], I was halfway through a medical.
“It just didn’t feel right for me at the time. If I’m honest that’s probably my biggest regret in football, not going to Liverpool at that time.
“Looking back now, if I could turn the clock back then I would have definitely gone but it just didn’t feel right for me at the time and that was the decision I made.
“Looking back, that was the wrong one I think.”
Bowyer’s decision is obviously blinkered with hindsight, as Liverpool went on to win the FA Cup and Champions League while he was plying his trade in a black-and-white shirt.
At the time Bowyer signed, Newcastle – despite obviously not being a bigger club – were in a better state of affairs than Liverpool, having just finished 3rd in the Premier League compared to Gerard Houllier’s sides 5th placed effort.
To give this modern-day perspective, it would be like opting to join the Tottenham Hotspur of recent seasons over the Manchester United of the present day.
Most Newcastle fans probably wish he had moved to Merseyside, as he was nothing but trouble while he was here. A decent – but far from amazing – player on the pitch, Bowyer’s stint at our club will always be best remembered for his scrap with Kieron Dyer in that 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa.
It seems like Lee Bowyer has added his name to the growing list of ex-Toon players from the early 2000s who have since criticised their time spent playing here.
