Goalkeeper Adrián San Miguel has admitted he may have stayed at Liverpool this summer if Jurgen Klopp had not departed.
The Spanish goalkeeper has been speaking to Cadena SER about his return to Real Betis this summer, a move that has brought an end to an 11-year stay in England.
He started his career with Betis and moved up their various youth ranks before moving to West Ham on a free transfer in 2013.
Adrián spent six years with the Hammers before heading to Liverpool in August 2019 to act as the back up to Alisson.
What had initially been planned as a short-term stay ended up being an extended one, with him spending five years at Anfield despite falling behind Caoimhin Kelleher in the pecking order.
He played his role in Liverpool’s success in recent years, earning himself a Premier League winners medal alongside several super cups and two league cups.
This summer is one of change on the red side of Merseyside, though, with Jurgen Klopp’s departure from the dugout prompting an overhaul across the board, with Arne Slot arriving to replace him and Michael Edwards returning to oversee football operations too.
That’s led to changes in the squad, with some long-term servants electing to leave, and Adrián is one of them.
“Erasmus has gotten out of hand. It’s usually a year and not eleven seasons,” he said.
“What 11 seasons. I’ve lived very beautiful and special moments at West Ham and Liverpool. Growth as a person and at a football level.
“I have always been linked to Betis. I had to leave, but I never really left there. It is true that the option becomes stronger at the end of the season when we talk more seriously. Liverpool offered me to extend the contract and that’s where it started the dilemma. I was very attracted to Betis. It was the best option for me and for my sporting career.
Asked whether things would have been different had the manager stayed, he said: “With Klopp? If I tell you the truth, everything would have been a little complicated. I had a very good relationship with Jürgen and with all the staff. We had a very good group. The Betis option is always there and when the train passes through there, you have to catch it.”
