Jurgen Klopp was interested in signing Moses Simon from Gent in 2018, but a move for the Nigerian star never materialized.
Moses Simon talks about his failed move to Liverpool in 2018 (Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Nigeria and PSG winger Moses Simon has admitted he regrets the way he acted at Ghent while trying to secure a move to Liverpool in 2018.
The 30-year-old, who scored three goals for Ligue 1 newcomers PSG last season, admitted his career could have turned out very differently if he had made his dream move to the Premier League almost a decade ago.
Although Simon enjoyed a successful career in Belgium, Spain and France, the striker’s ambitions to play in England were never realised, despite interest from a number of clubs across the country.
The Nigeria international, in an interview with Urban Dwell Sport, revealed that several clubs including Liverpool, Tottenham, Brighton, Fulham and Hull City were interested in signing him during his time in Belgium.
Simon played for Gent between 2015 and 2018 and revealed that Liverpool came closest to securing his signature during this time, although the move ultimately did not materialize.
Indeed, the Super Eagles star was constantly on Liverpool’s radar ahead of the 2018/19 season, with Jurgen Klopp’s side reportedly offering £10 million for Simon’s services. However, the Reds’ pursuit was soon abandoned and Xherdan Shaqiri moved to Anfield instead.
Moses Simon had a career in Belgium, France and Spain (Image: Sylvain Lefebvre/Getty Images)
Simon admitted that his unsuccessful move to Liverpool had a profound psychological impact on him, leading to him losing motivation at Ghent.
“In my second year (at Ghent) I was supposed to go to Liverpool,” Simon said. “It didn’t work. In my head I was like, “Is this an agent or a club? I don’t want to play.”
“So I got it into my head, ‘Whether I play or not, I don’t care.’
The 30-year-old also said that he believes that if he sacrifices his form and reduces the quality of his performances, Gent will force him to sell.
“I (thought) if I didn’t play, the club would find a way to sell me quickly,” Simon admitted. “The club bought me for €1m (£852,000) but a year later they wanted €25m (£21.3m).”
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With age comes wisdom and Simon has now admitted he regrets how poorly he handled the situation and has urged younger players not to make the same mistakes he did.
He added: “If I were an experienced player, I would go for everything because the more you play, the more market value you have.”
“So every young player, whether there are rumors or not, just give it your all. The transfer may come and you will leave.”
“If it doesn’t happen, move on because your club is paying you. This is the contract you signed.”
Despite missing out on his dream move to Anfield, Simon went on to have a distinguished career, winning numerous trophies. The 30-year-old has 98 caps for Nigeria and is on pace to become the fifth player in the country’s history to reach the 100 cap mark.