da spicy bet： Lucas Leiva has revealed that he came “very close” to leaving Liverpool over the summer, but that he’s glad he stayed put.
da doce： The Brazilian midfielder looked set to leave the Reds with just a few weeks of the transfer window remaining, with a move to Besiktas widely mooted after he was left out of Brendan Rodgers’ first-team plans for the opening phase of the league season.
However, Lucas shone when re-called to the starting XI at Arsenal, producing a magnificent display in North London as Liverpool took a point from the Emirates Stadium.
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He then kept his place for the West Ham game and remained on Merseyside when the deadline passed.
Speaking to the club’s official website the South American star revealed that he was close to moving on, but that he’s happy he opted to stay put:
“It’s been very intense [the window], to be honest, I think the last couple of years, every transfer window my name is [linked with a move].
“Of course there are times when you think you might have to move on and I was very close to moving but one thing I will always have is commitment to this club. I’ve been here so long and I always said if I had the choice to be here and be happy, I would always choose Liverpool.
“When your future is in doubt, you might have to think of another solution, but I’m happy that it didn’t happen and I’m here to fight for the club as I have been doing for eight years.
“I’m just looking forward to a good season and putting Liverpool back where it belongs. I have this chance to say I’m fully committed.
“I’ve been here so long and I really love this club, I just need to now focus on my performance and help in the way the manager and the staff asked me to help.
“Hopefully, I’ll be an important player for the club this season.”
Lucas is one of a growing contingent of Brazilian players at Anfield, which includes Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino.
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