“Instant Rejection: Steven Gerrard’s Attempt to Recruit Two Stars to Liverpool Shut Down Over Text”
“Rejected! Steven Gerrard’s Bold Text Message Pitch to Two Top Players Fails Instantly”
Steven Gerrard once attempted to persuade two players to join Liverpool via text message but faced immediate rejection. A Liverpool icon for the majority of his career, Gerrard turned down a move to Chelsea in 2005.
He was appointed captain by manager Gerard Houllier in 2003, a position he held for 12 years, guiding the team through various eras at Anfield. He famously led the club to victory in the Champions League final in 2005 and reached the final again two years later.
Given his status at the club, Gerrard occasionally took on the unofficial role of recruiting players to Liverpool, but his efforts didn’t always succeed. In his 2015 autobiography, My Story, Gerrard detailed his attempts to convince players to join the Reds, revealing that he had an “unofficial role” in recruiting talent but missed out on two particular players after they declined his overtures.
He wrote, “I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool. In 2013, one of our targets was Brazilian midfielder Willian. I followed my usual approach of texting rather than calling, as it felt more respectful and allowed the player to respond at his convenience. I started off by introducing myself and expressing my admiration for his talent, then mentioned that Liverpool was in talks with his agent, saying, ‘If you need to chat or have any questions, I’m here anytime.’
However, Willian responded, ‘I’m not sure Liverpool can win me the Champions League.’”
Later in the book, Gerrard discussed his admiration for Toni Kroos, saying, “I knew Real Madrid were preparing an offer for him from Bayern Munich, so I felt somewhat awkward texting him. At the time, he was on the verge of winning the World Cup with Germany, while Real was the reigning European champion. Still, I thought, ‘God loves a trier,’ so I decided to give it a shot.”
Willian ultimately signed with Chelsea, rejecting offers from both Liverpool and Tottenham, and after stints at Arsenal and Fulham, he joined Galatasaray in the summer. Kroos went on to join Real Madrid in 2014, enjoying a decade at the club and winning five Champions League titles before retiring after Euro 2024 with Germany.
