‘I rejected three Liverpool offers despite Steven Gerrard chat – I was a divvy’

The cousin of Steven Gerrard, Anthony, once revealed that he turned down the chance to play for Liverpool on several occasions – choices he has come to rue in the years since

Anthony Gerrard, cousin of Liverpool hero Steven Gerrard, has admitted he rejected the Reds three times in decisions he now deeply regrets. The 39-year-old initially progressed through Everton’s youth system in 2004.

Anthony confessed he snubbed opportunities to trade Goodison Park for Anfield because he refused to be overshadowed by his legendary cousin, with whom he shared a good relationship with. He now brands himself a “divvy” for turning down the Toffees’ Merseyside rivals.

“I had three opportunities to sign for Liverpool,” Anthony revealed to The Football Historian Podcast in April. “And because Steven was Steven and me being like, ‘No, I want to walk my own path,’ and all that, which in hindsight was an absolute divvy move.”

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Anthony believes his link to Gerrard might have aided his success at Anfield, whilst acknowledging that his decision to remain with the Reds’ neighbours potentially denied him club football’s greatest honour.

He continued: “I’m not saying ride his coattails, but with what he was at the club and what he’d accomplished, he would have put me in good stead at the football club.

“So when I signed my pro deal at Everton I had two offers from Liverpool and I was like, ‘No, I don’t want to do it.’ In hindsight, could I have had them Premier League appearances and stuff? Maybe I could even have a Champions League medal with the lads who were on the bench at the time.”

Anthony, a no-nonsense centre-back, eventually departed Everton after just one campaign to sign for Walsall. Across five seasons at the West Midlands outfit, including one season on loan, he clinched the League Two title in 2006.

Moves to Cardiff City, Hull City and Huddersfield Town followed suit. Yet it was during his Cardiff spell that he faced off against his renowned cousin on the field when Liverpool defeated the Bluebirds to claim the League Cup under Kenny Dalglish in 2012.

Adding insult to injury for Anthony, it was the Scouse defender who fluffed the crucial spot-kick at Wembley to hand the Reds the silverware. Anthony subsequently turned out for Oldham Athletic and Shrewsbury Town.

Periods at Carlisle United and eventually Chesterfield brought his playing days to a close when he hung up his boots in January 2020. Reflecting on his Everton departure in 2012, Anthony revealed the determination that sustained him throughout a respectable footballing journey.

“When you have a dream, you just can’t give up on it,” he told The Guardian. “Players do fall out of football when they get released by bigger clubs. I don’t think it’s down to their ability.

“I think it is down to their mental state. I have got a great support network around me – my dad, my grandad. They pick me up and tell me that I am not a bad player just because of one manager’s say-so.”

Gerrard also had high praise for his cousin ahead of facing each other at Wembley in 2012. “I’m five or six years older than him, but I knew from a young age he was going to be a good player,” he said.

“I used to have a kickabout with him from about four to 10 or 12, and he was really good. Everton picked him up really quickly so I knew he had a really good chance.”

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