Chelsea hero Florent Malouda admits he came close to signing for Liverpool during his career.
The former winger was coached by Gerard Houllier at the time and was nearly convinced by make a switch to Anfield.
Speaking exclusively to Genting Casino, Malouda said: "Gerard Houllier was my coach.
"Whenever I was training, I would always ask him questions about the Premier League and whether or not I play there.
"He said you have to go and experience the Premier League at least once in your career and then he grabbed his phone and called Liverpool – he literally made the deal for me."
Liverpool were coached by Rafa Benitez at the time, who was keen on signing Malouda.
He revealed: "Liverpool were the first team to make an offer. Rafa was the coach and he really pushed for me to go to Liverpool."
The Frenchman eventually joined Chelsea for £13m move in 2007.
Malouda said: "When Chelsea came in for me, I felt so much pride.
"I knew a lot of the players that were already there, and of course we would speak regularly on the phone, which helped my decision, so I knew Chelsea were the club that I really wanted to join."
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