Joe Gomez admitted he could have left Liverpool last summer as he revealed he was pleased to stay at “the best club in the world” and put a possible move to Newcastle behind him.
Newcastle made a £45m offer for the defender during a time when Anthony Gordon was of interest to Liverpool.
But Gomez remains at Anfield and is still Liverpool’s longest-serving player as he said his love for the club means he is delighted the transfer didn’t go through.
“It was definitely for real,” he said. “My focus was always on the club but I know how blessed I am to be here and I will be 10 years [at Liverpool] in the summer. I don’t take that for granted.
“It is the best club in the world in my eyes and it was quickly a case of adapting and getting into the swing of things. It was good to put it to bed. That is football. I am a big believer in focusing on the present.
“To be somewhere 10 years and not have any blips would not be natural which probably speaks about my ambition. I love being here. I love the club.”
Gomez had a difficult start to life under Arne Slot when he did not even make the bench for the opening win at Ipswich and seemed the fourth-choice centre-back.
He did not start a league game until December’s visit of Manchester City but, with Ibrahima Konate injured, he has begun the last three matches in all competitions and been preferred to Jarell Quansah.
“It is tricky because you don’t know when the chance will come or under what circumstances, what position and so on and so forth,” he added.
“But I can only control what I can focus on and that is being the best professional I can be. It is a great club to be at and to see the positives in it. It could be worse.
“As a player, you always want to play so you have to just try and be ready. In many ways, I am used to it and have had many ups and downs but you relish playing and having the opportunity to be in the team.”
Gomez made a career-high 51 appearances last season under Jurgen Klopp and said it has taken time to adjust to new head coach Slot’s tactical demands.
“It is a process from a tactical standpoint,” he explained. “It is definitely not as straightforward as seeing a pass and playing it. A lot is about how we can get around the pitch and try not overload on one side and play with the ball a bit more.
“It has been great to learn. You just want to get better as a player and the coach is helping me and the rest of the bots to do that.”
