QUINT EXPLAINS ANFIELD SNUB
The Sedan skipper will complete a switch to Le Championnat leaders Nantes in the summer after deciding not to parade his talents on Merseyside.
"I am very proud that such a club thinks of me," he admitted. "For me, Liverpool are one of the top ten European sides.
"Even if, in Nantes, I have no chance to be a regular first team player, I prefer to play two matches out of three in Nantes rather than one in four in Liverpool.
"When I saw Bernard Diomede's example - he was injured, but even if he is a World champion, he is rarely a first team member.
"Moreover, I never had Gerard Houllier on the phone. I didn't even know how he wanted to use me."
Several other French sides wanted the midfielder, but he is convinced he made the right choice.
"Above all, it is a sport choice," he maintained. "Champions League was an essential criteria. For example, Monaco won't play in it.
"Bordeaux wanted to wait a little longer and made me understand I wasn't their first priority.
"There was also Lens.
"I will play in a competition that will be the summit of my career," added the 29-year-old. "The Champions League.
"Five years ago, I played in Division Four in Epernay! At that time, my aim was to play one day in Division Two."
(Photo courtesy of DPPI)
