Finnan: Surprised by Spain switch
Steve Finnan has admitted he was surprised by his transfer deadline day switch to Espanyol from Liverpool.
The Republic of Ireland international left Anfield for Spain as a sweetener to push through Albert Riera's move to Merseyside.
Finnan concedes he never wanted to leave Anfield, but admits he had no choice other than to go after dropping down the pecking order in Rafa Benitez's plans.
"It was totally out of the blue," Finnan told the Liverpool Post.
"It's exciting to be going to a great club in Spain but I didn't want to leave.
"But it was obvious that I wasn't going to get a game by staying so I didn't really have much choice."

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| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Saturday 20th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| 17:00 | Athletic Bilbao vs Getafe |
| 17:00 | Deportivo La Coruna vs Valladolid |
| 17:00 | Xerez vs Tenerife |
| 19:00 | Real Madrid vs Sporting Gijon |
| 21:00 | Espanyol vs Sevilla |
| Sunday 21st March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| 16:00 | Malaga vs Villarreal |
| 16:00 | Mallorca vs Atletico Madrid |
| 16:00 | Osasuna vs Racing Santander |
| 18:00 | Valencia vs Almeria |
| 20:00 | Real Zaragoza vs Barcelona |
| Tuesday 23rd March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| 19:00 | Sporting Gijon vs Deportivo La Coruna |
| 21:00 | Sevilla vs Xerez |
| Wednesday 24th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| 19:00 | Almeria vs Real Zaragoza |
| 19:00 | Barcelona vs Osasuna |
| 19:00 | Racing Santander vs Mallorca |
| 19:00 | Tenerife vs Villarreal |
| 19:00 | Valladolid vs Espanyol |
| 21:00 | Valencia vs Malaga |
| Thursday 25th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| 19:00 | Getafe vs Real Madrid |
| 21:00 | Atletico Madrid vs Athletic Bilbao |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Monday 15th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| Atletico Madrid 1 - 0 Osasuna | |
| Sunday 14th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| Villarreal 2 - 0 Xerez | |
| Tenerife 4 - 1 Espanyol | |
| Almeria 1 - 0 Malaga | |
| Racing Santander 0 - 0 Real Zaragoza | |
| Valladolid 1 - 4 Real Madrid | |
| Barcelona 3 - 0 Valencia | |
| Saturday 13th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| Getafe 3 - 0 Mallorca | |
| Sporting Gijon 0 - 0 Athletic Bilbao | |
| Sevilla 1 - 1 Deportivo La Coruna | |
| Monday 8th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| Valencia 0 - 0 Racing Santander | |
| Sunday 7th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| Malaga 2 - 4 Xerez | |
| Espanyol 0 - 0 Villarreal | |
| Mallorca 3 - 0 Sporting Gijon | |
| Osasuna 0 - 0 Getafe | |
| Real Zaragoza 1 - 1 Atletico Madrid | |
| Athletic Bilbao 2 - 0 Valladolid | |
| Saturday 6th March | |
| Spanish Primera Liga | |
| Deportivo La Coruna 3 - 1 Tenerife | |
| Almeria 2 - 2 Barcelona | |
| Real Madrid 3 - 2 Sevilla | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 26 | 65 |
| 2 | Barcelona | 26 | 65 |
| 3 | Valencia | 26 | 47 |
| 4 | Sevilla | 26 | 44 |
| 5 | Real Mallorca | 26 | 43 |
| 6 | Deportivo La Coruna | 26 | 42 |
| 7 | Athletic Bilbao | 26 | 41 |
| 8 | Getafe | 26 | 36 |
| 9 | Villarreal | 26 | 36 |
| 10 | Atletico Madrid | 26 | 34 |
| 11 | Almeria | 26 | 33 |
| 12 | Sporting Gijon | 26 | 32 |
| 13 | Osasuna | 26 | 31 |
| 14 | Espanyol | 26 | 28 |
| 15 | Malaga | 26 | 27 |
| 16 | Racing Santander | 26 | 27 |
| 17 | Real Zaragoza | 26 | 26 |
| 18 | Tenerife | 26 | 23 |
| 19 | Real Valladolid | 26 | 20 |
| 20 | Xerez | 26 | 15 |
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