Anelka hits out at Houllier

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Nicolas Anelka's brother and agent, Claude, has hit back at claims from former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier that he was the reason why the striker did not join the Reds permanently in 2002. The former Arsenal and Real Madrid striker arrived at Anfield on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in December 2001, scoring five times in 22 appearances during his six month stay on Merseyside. However, despite the striker recently revealing that he believed he played the best football of his career at Liverpool, a long-term deal for the Frenchman failed to materialise. Anelka instead switched to nearby Manchester City for £13 million, where he netted 38 Premier League goals in 89 outings. And although the currently unemployed Houllier has claimed that the reason Anelka did not join Liverpool that summer was due to the destructive influence of his brothers, Claude has other ideas. “To my mind, Houllier wanted to be able to say 'I can bring Anelka into line'” he told Aujourd’hui Sport.  “He wanted to give us a lesson.

“He can pretend it did not come through because of us, but it is wrong. Houllier should stop lying!

“He should have taken his responsibilities instead of blaming somebody else. I also regret the fact that he used Nic.

“Houllier told us 'no' to Liverpool once the league was over.”

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Gregg Davies
Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.