Glen Johnson has revealed that a phone call from Xabi Alonso was instrumental in his decision to join Liverpool in 2009, beating off competition from Chelsea and Manchester City. The England international signed for £17.5m from Portsmouth on this day in 2009, with Liverpool offsetting £7m owed for Peter Crouch.
How Alonso and Teammates Swayed Johnson
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the ECHO in November 2021, Johnson said: "If a club like Liverpool comes knocking, you obviously immediately have an eye on it and an interest. But what swung it was we played for England that summer, just before I signed, and I had a good chat with Stevie (Gerrard). And then I spoke to (Fernando) Torres and Alonso as well before signing. I just thought these were some of the best players in the world. They don’t need to phone me but they were phoning me to let me know how much they wanted me to join."
Liverpool's Decline and Transition
Johnson's arrival was meant to bolster a side that had finished four points behind Manchester United in the 2008-09 title race. However, the summer also saw Alonso depart, and the club's ownership issues under Tom Hicks and George Gillett worsened. Johnson recalled: "There were a lot of issues with owners, Rafa lost his job and we sold three of our best players and didn’t replace any of them. You just can’t do that, it’s as simple as that."
League Cup Glory and Near Misses
Johnson won the League Cup in 2012, scoring in the penalty shoot-out against Cardiff City. He said: "I remember, just before I hit the bar, I remember hitting a long, diagonal pass wide and I just heard Stevie say, 'go on'. I jogged past Stevie and he was like, 'just go', so I actually found myself almost left-wing. I cut in and as soon as I hit it, I thought, 'that’s in', but unfortunately it was probably two inches too high."
2013-14 Title Challenge
Under Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool came close to the Premier League title in 2013-14, but Johnson believes the league was lost earlier in the season. "Everyone thinks we lost the league when Stevie slipped or when we didn’t win against Palace, but that’s wrong. We didn’t. We lost the league at the start of the season because we dropped 30 points. We went on a run after Christmas where we were unbelievable. The fact we even put ourselves in that position was incredible."
Decision to Leave and No Regrets
Johnson left Liverpool at the end of his contract in 2015, choosing to move closer to home. He said: "I wanted to try something new. I had always wanted to retire relatively young anyway, regardless of where I was. The kids were growing up and I wanted to be a bit closer to home so that was that." He added: "I don’t regret a single thing. There was a lot going on for the club. We had three or four managers in a short space of time. The owners wanted out and we didn’t know who was going to buy the club."
Praise for FSG and Klopp Era
Johnson praised FSG for their long-term plan: "The new owners came in and they planted the foundations. You can’t have a top side with a top manager and sustain title challenges and Champions League challengers without all of the right things around the club being correct. They’re settled owners with a plan and have brought all the right staff in and have a specific way of signing certain players. They had a gameplan the minute they bought the club. That’s why Liverpool are now competing at the top in most tournaments and will do so for a long, long time to come."
