Swedish international confirmed Roy Hodgson wanted him
Sunderland midfielder Ola Toivonen has revealed he nearly joined Liverpool when Roy Hodgson was in charge.
The Swedish international joined The Black Cats this summer after agreeing to a loan switch from Rennes, but he has revealed how close he was to being in the Premier League a lot earlier in his career.
Toivonen completed his loan to the Stadium of Light due to his relationship with manager Dick Advocaat. The two worked together during their PSV Eindhoven days and the midfielder was keen to reunite with the 67-year-old.
However, the 29-year-old Swede has revealed that he was nearly in the Premier League a few years earlier when Hodgson came calling from Liverpool.
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“A couple of years ago it looked like I would be joining Liverpool when Roy Hodgson was there. Not fighting hard enough for that to happen is something I regret in my life.
“I am 29 so when I look back I will be pleased that I took the opportunity to move to France to try out a new league also.
“I experienced how it is to live there, experienced a new language and culture so it was a nice time.
“But I always wanted to play in the Premier League so when I got the call from Sunderland it was a quick decision to make.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
