Martin Zubimendi’s decision to reject Liverpool in August is looking increasingly foolish amid Real Sociedad’s dreadful start to the season, and he’s not the only player who might now have regrets over snubbing the Reds in the summer.
In an interview with L’Equipe, long-serving Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes revealed that he was approached by LFC at the start of the transfer window, but he didn’t want to be a backup to Alisson Becker at Anfield.
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Having been OL’s first-choice stopper for the past decade, the one-club man – who turns 34 today – has drastically slipped to fourth in the pecking order under new manager Pierre Sage, who’s installed Lucas Perri as his number one.
The veteran stopper told the French news outlet: “Yes, it’s true that I had opportunities very early in the transfer window, especially one in a very big European team.
“Honestly, it wasn’t my goal at that time to be number two, but if it had happened at the end of the transfer window, maybe my choice would have been different.”
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Hindsight is 20/20 vision, of course, but we suspect that Lopes may now be regretting his decision not to join Liverpool in June, especially considering how things have transpired at both Anfield and the Groupama Stadium since then.
The 34-year-old turned down the Reds because he didn’t want to be Alisson’s deputy, but the ironic twist is that he’d quite likely have taken to the pitch for LFC already this season if he had left Lyon.
Whereas he’s been completely frozen out with OL, the goalkeeper could’ve featured in our wins over Bournemouth and West Ham, which saw Caoimhin Kelleher come into the side because the Brazilian was injured.
Alas, even if the Irishman were to depart in 2025, Giorgi Mamardashvili will be part of Arne Slot’s squad for the start of next season, ensuring that we still have a strong fallback option for when our first-choice stopper isn’t available.
It’s a shame to see how a loyal one-club servant in Lopes has been treated at Lyon in recent months, but unfortunately for him, he may have missed the boat on the chance to join Liverpool. It’s turned out to be a case of the right option at the wrong time for the Portugese goalkeeper.
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