‘I didn’t want to go to Liverpool’ Julian Dicks was reluctant to leave West Ham, but Graeme Souness convinced him to sign

Julian Dicks scores a penalty for Liverpool
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Julian Dicks' Liverpool stay lasted just one season – and he didn't even want to go in the first place.

That's what he told FourFourTwo in our latest issue, as he reflects on his reluctant 1993 departure from West Ham – the club where he made himself a legend. His move to Anfield was ultimately down to then Reds manager Graeme Souness...

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"I didn't actually want to go to Liverpool," explains, "but West Ham needed the money for a few new signings. As soon as I met Graeme, though, I knew that I wanted to play for him. He was a straight-talker.

"Sadly, he resigned and Roy Evans took over – and we didn't get on. But it was amazing to play for such an iconic club.

"He [Evans] just didn't seem to like me. He said I had weight issues, but the truth is he used to wait in the car park for me to arrive and then say, 'Julian, you're with the kids today'. I'd think, 'F**k that' and go straight home, so of course I wasn't in my best shape.

"One day, he told me that Tottenham had come in for me. I said, 'F**k off, I'm not going to Tottenham! I'm West Ham; I can't do that!'. A few weeks later, Jamie Redknapp said his old man [Harry Redknapp] wanted to sign me again and I told Liverpool I was going. I didn't want a pay-off; I just wanted to go where I felt at home."

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Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...

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