Former Arsenal centre-back Sebastien Squillaci has revealed he almost joined Liverpool during Gerard Houllier’s time at the club.
The Frenchman signed for Arsenal back in 2010, spending three years at the Emirates under Arsene Wenger.
Squillaci never really impressed in England, however, making just 39 appearances for the Gunners.
His career could have panned out very differently, though, and in an interview with L’Equipe [via Sport Witness], he spoke about almost moving to Liverpool in the early 2000s:
It was when I was in Ajaccio, in my second year (2001-2002): I met Gérard Houllier in Paris to go to Liverpool. They were very interested. It didn’t happen because I returned to Monaco, who wanted to keep me.
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In fairness, Squillaci was at the start of his career when Liverpool showed an interest, whereas he was ageing by the time he joined Arsenal.
That being said, it still looks as though the Reds dodged a bullet not signing him, with Houllier still building an excellent defence during that period.
Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz were impressive figures at the back, as were the likes of Markus Babbel, Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise, so Squillaci may have found it hard to enjoy lots of playing time.
