Liverpool bid for Shearer confirmed
Former Liverpool assistant manager Phil Thompson has confirmed that
the club DID try to sign Alan Shearer when Gerard Houllier was in
charge.
We reported the news at the time but it was naturally laughed off
but Thommo admits in his book that our report was true.
Thommo said: "Of course, Alan was still a god at Newcastle, but he
had not signed his new contract. Gerard came to me and said: 'Do
you fancy Alan Shearer?' I said 'Of course!' although I felt there
was little or no chance of securing his services because of his
ties to the North East.
"Gerard felt he could be another Gary McAllister for us, a great
pro who could spark things with his approach, attitude and quality.
It would also have revived the Alan Shearer-Michael Owen
partnership that had ben so successful for England in the past. The
boss said that he had this feeling that Alan would come to
Anfield.
"Contact was made, although Newcastle were obviously not keen to
let him go. We said we would like to be kept informed, aware that
it would be a major coup to capture someone of Shearer's stature.
We also knew that it would be a massive negotiation, but early
indications were that he would come.
"Nothing happened over a period of 10 days and then all of a sudden
the Geordie hero got the contract at St James' Park that he had
wanted.
"That had been my only fear, that his advisers might have used
Liverpool's interest to force Newcastle's hand, but Alan Shearer is
as honest and down to earth as they come and Gerard was convinced
that his interest in joining us was genuine.
"The boss had been in talks with Bobby Robson about a possible deal
and we know that Shearer didn't use us. In the end it was his sheer
love of all things Geordie that kept him in the North East."
