16 Jul Why Kewell rebuffed Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona for Liverpool move

Former Socceroos star Harry Kewell was once a player in high demand.

In the summer of 2003, Kewell was seeking a move away from financially stricken Leeds United with Premier League heavyweights Arsenal, Chelsea and Spanish giants Barcelona all vying for his signature.

But it was Liverpool who won the race for his services in a £5 million move and the man who orchestrated the deal – Kewell’s agent Bernie Mandic – revealed why he decided to join the Reds.

“Your client's best interests have to come first,” Mandic told The Transfer Window podcast.

“For all the supposed bad stuff I did with Harry Kewell, at the end of the day he had better offers from other clubs and he was the one who chose Liverpool rather than going to Chelsea, for example, or at that time Arsenal or Barcelona, because one, he loved the club, secondly, he felt that he had the best connection with Gerard Houlier compared with anyone else.

“Houlier put his best case forward personally whereas other clubs had sporting directors doing it and that made a substantial difference to his thinking."

Kewell made 139 appearances and scored 16 goals in his five seasons at Anfield before sealing a move to Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray on a free transfer in 2008.