Liverpool target told former club 'f*** that' when they tried to block his transfer

Former Liverpool defender Paul Konchesky nearly missed out on his Anfield dream, with previous club Fulham refusing to budge until they'd secured his replacement. But once the left-back learnt of the Reds' interest, he was desperate to avoid returning to Craven Cottage.

Konchesky followed Roy Hodgson to Liverpool in 2010, despite the London outfit's attempts to tie him to a lengthy deal - and despite boss Mark Hughes nearly scuppering the defender's ambition. The full-back had been crucial for Fulham under Hodgson as the Cottagers reached the Europa League final in 2010, featuring in every minute of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final as they fell just short against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg, and Hodgson's prize for masterminding that campaign was the Liverpool position.

Konchesky featured among his prime targets in a summer that also brought the likes of Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic to Merseyside. However, sealing the transfer proved anything but straightforward.

"Probably early August I get a call, or my agent calls me and says 'Roy said that if they can do a deal with Fulham, he wants to take you to Liverpool'," Konchesky revealed on the podcast. "I'm like 31 [he was 29], so I'm thinking, 'f***ing hell, one of the biggest clubs in history, I have to make it happen, it has to happen'.

"They didn't probably have a lot of money to spend so he's come for me, if he (Hodgson) had a load of money he might have not come for me, which helped me in one way. But Fulham were being really hard to play with. Mark Hughes was the [Fulham] manager [and said] you're not going anywhere, we haven't got anyone to take your place. Until we get someone you're not going anywhere, and it was getting later and later."

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Konchesky found himself frozen out of Hughes' squad for Fulham's opening two away fixtures, though he featured for the full 90 minutes of a home draw against Manchester United. With the clock ticking down on his potential switch to Liverpool, he decided to take drastic action and confront the manager face-to-face.

"I went out to knock on Mark Hughes' door and said: 'Listen, you've played for the biggest clubs in the world - Barcelona, Man United - I've got an opportunity to do that so please just let it happen. You've had this opportunity, I've never had it... it's never going to happen in my lifetime again'," Konchesky added.

"He said, 'you're not going anywhere, if we don't get anyone you're not going anywhere, so you're just going to be here until the end of the transfer window'. So I didn't play right up until the August 30."

Konchesky insists he kept his professionalism intact during training whilst desperately hoping for his dream move to materialise. It wasn't until the dying moments of the month that a ray of hope emerged, though even then the deal almost collapsed.

"August 30, my agent's phoned and been like, 'We've been told we can go and have a medical and talk to them but you're not allowed to sign because they've still not got their player they want'. So I had my medical in Liverpool - just in the hotel, really - and that night that deal fell through and [I got told] I had to go back.

"I said 'I'm not going back, f*** that, I'm not going'. The next day they ring my agent and say 'right, we've got this...' - it was a Mexican boy they signed (Carlos Salcido). My medical's done and my terms are agreed, all I had to do is sign.

"It's the 31st and it got to about midday and my agent went 'They're going to call us by 2pm', so by 3pm it was done. But it was just weird how it happened - I didn't play and then on the 30th I get told I'm allowed to go and have a medical but still might not be allowed to go. So it was really weird and my head was f***ed and all I wanted to do was go and sign for Liverpool, really."

Ultimately, Konchesky's Anfield adventure proved disappointing. His chances became increasingly scarce following Hodgson's mid-season dismissal, and he departed after managing merely 15 Premier League outings - though not before fulfilling his ambition of representing one of England's footballing powerhouses.

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