Liverpool icon says David Moyes 'tried to sign me for Everton' before crazy transfer saga

A Liverpool legend claimed David Moyes tried to bring him across Merseyside to sign for the Reds' bitter rivals Everton.

Didi Hamann joined the Premier League giants in 1999 from Newcastle and played 280 times in all competitions until his Anfield exit in 2006. The German midfielder played a crucial part in Liverpools 2005 Champions League final victory as he battled through the pain of a broken foot in the historic victory over AC Milan.

He also picked up the FA Cup twice, League Cup twice, UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup during his seven-year spell. But Hamann later found himself on the fringes of the team under Rafael Benitez, playing just 17 times in the Premier League in his last campaign at the club.

JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

At 33, Hamann found himself playing second fiddle to Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso in the centre of the park and it was agreed he could find a new club.

Hamanns availability caught the eye of Moyes, who had just finished 11th with Everton after a disappointing failure to qualify for the Champions League group stage and subsequent UEFA Cup first round exit derailed the start of their season picking up just three points in their opening eight games.

Moyes was keen to bring the Germans experience to the squad, but Hamann admitted that he wasnt interested in throwing away his Liverpool legacy by joining the Toffees.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sport, via MrQ, Hamann revealed: David Moyes did try to sign me. He spoke to me, but obviously, after spending so many years at Liverpool, it wasn't really an option I could take.

I had a year left on that Liverpool contract, but obviously Rafa said to me that he wanted to sign a winger, which I think was Jermaine Pennant, and that Stevie [Gerrard] would play more in the middle and that I may not get as many chances or games as I did the season before.

That season before, I think I played about 35 games. It didn't feel like that because I came off the bench for quite a few of them. So, yeah, in the end I left on good terms with Rafa and Liverpool. I left the club after seven years and had a fantastic time there. It was the right time.

Hamann signed a pre-contract agreement with Bolton Wanderers under Sam Allardyce, only for him to pull out of the deal and sign for Manchester City instead.

Despite only technically being a Bolton player for one day, City agreed to pay 400,000 in compensation to the Trotters. He played for City for three years, before a brief spell at MK Dons in League One, where he retired in 2011.

On his Bolton saga, Hamann said: I committed to Bolton for Big Sam, but when I signed the contract, I got a call from Manchester City. Stuart Pearce, who was my team-mate at Newcastle, was the manager of City at the time. And then, obviously, I wanted to go to City.

You can imagine that when we told Big Sam, he wasn't too pleased. He really wasn't too happy with it.

But in the end, Bolton got a transfer fee for me, even though I never played a game for them. So I think, in the end, we all shook hands and were reasonably happy, shall we say.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]Follow Daily Star: