For a long while earlier this year it had looked like Liverpool fans may finally be welcoming Xabi Alonso back to their club.
Alonso became a hero after joining from Real Sociedad in 2004. The silky Spaniard has since gone on to become a title-winning manager.
Supporters had hoped that Alonso would become the man to replace Jurgen Klopp when he left this summer, but the 42-year-old opted to stay with Bayer Leverkusen instead.
It has been reported that Alonso would still love to manage Liverpool and that is a dream that will hopefully one day be achieved.
In the meantime, there will still be a residual feeling of regret over the way things ended for Alonso at Anfield in 2009. The man responsible for that exit, Rafa Benitez, has now given his side of the story about why Xabi was sold.
Jamie Carragher asks Rafa Benitez to explain Xabi Alonso sale
It was perhaps always inevitable that Alonso would one day leave Liverpool and play for one of the giant clubs in Spain. However, in 2008 Xabi still felt very much in love with his adopted club on Merseyside.
Nevertheless, Benitez tried to sell him to Arsenal and buy Gareth Barry instead. It was a move that baffled supporters and although both transfers failed, led to bad blood that couldn’t be repaired.
16 years on, Benitez has appeared on the Stick to Football podcast alongside former centre-back Jamie Carragher to explain exactly what went down between he and Alonso.
“Right throughout that season [2009] the summer before Alonso had nearly been sold and there was talk about Gareth Barry coming in,” says Carragher.
READ MORE: Xabi Alonso explains how Rafa Benitez really helped him as a coach at Liverpool
“The frustration from me as a player is that you want to sell Alonso, and Alonso wants to go. That’s not my frustration. My thing is that you are the manager, you decide who comes and who goes.
“Then the season starts and Xabi stays. Xabi has maybe his best season for Liverpool. My frustration is that maybe you had had a disagreement at the start of the season, maybe.
“But I look at it and I’m sure you will put me straight but I think if a manager and a player something is fractious and the season starts and this player is playing really well, haven’t you won?
“Then he goes next summer. Could that not have been fixed as the season was going on? We had something there.”
Rafa Benitez answers back to Carragher
Despite Carragher making a very sound argument, Benitez hit back in his own, typical way.
“Xabi is a very good player and a very clever person,” replied the Spaniard. “He is someone who is right. I could carry on with him. Why we went for Gareth Barry is because he could play in three different positions and we needed to sell.
“Xabi had an agreement because I told him we needed to sell. Xabi was talking with one club and he had an agreement, I know the figures,” he added.
“The year after we played Standard Liege in pre-season. We had Mascherano and Lucas in the Olympic Games, Gerrard had a lower back problem and then we had to play Plessis and him. He had an agreement with Arsenal and he didn’t want to [get cup tied].
“I told you and Gerrard. I remember because I was surprised and I will criticise you now. I told you and Gerrard that he had an agreement and he had to play because we cannot play with two lads in the most important game of the season to qualify for the Champions League.
“I told you both and when you were coming out for the warm-up you said poor Xabi. Not poor Xabi, no! Xabi is playing for our club at the time.”
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