‘I held Liverpool scarf and thought I’d signed for Reds – then I had a choice'

The transfer window is often a whirlwind of drama, confusion and complexity – a fact well understood by Loic Remy. The former France international experienced a tumultuous summer in 2014, with potential moves to Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea on the cards.

At the time, Remy was playing for QPR, fresh from a successful season-long loan at Newcastle, where he scored an impressive 14 Premier League goals. Liverpool were the first to express interest and flew the striker to their pre-season camp in the US after striking a deal with the Rs.

However, issues with his medical derailed the move, leading to a frantic end to the transfer window. Remy, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Thursday (January 2), recalled the experience during the launch of Ladbrokes’ ‘Gaffer of all Accas’ last month.

He said: “I can remember being on holiday, back in my home country, on a small island, and my agent gave me a call to tell me that Liverpool wanted to sign me. They were training in Boston for pre-season. That was fantastic news for me, so I asked him about the next steps.

“We arrived, me and my agent, [in Boston] and it all felt like a dream – it was happening so quickly. I met all the guys, started doing my interviews, and had a medical, but something was wrong.

“I didn’t know what was wrong, but they said I just needed to wait for a couple of days. At this moment, I was a Liverpool player as far as I was concerned, because I’d done the interviews, and I still have a picture of myself on my phone, holding their scarf!”

“It was a very proud moment for me, but two days later I found out that there was a problem with my medical, and the deal was off – they didn’t want to take the risk. And while I was so disappointed, I accepted it and went back to London, ready to start training with QPR again.”

The narrative took another dramatic turn when Chelsea expressed interest in the forward, dangling the chance to play under renowned manager Jose Mourinho. But just as he neared sealing the deal, Arsenal threw in a last-minute hook.

“Just before we signed, my agent had a call from Arsenal, who were asking whether I’d signed or not,” Remy remembered. “[My agent told them] ‘No, no, he’s on his way to sign now’. [Arsenal replied] ‘Tell him not to sign – we want him!’

“My agent told me this, and the market was so close to closing, and so he gave me the choice between Chelsea and Arsenal. In the end, I went with Chelsea because I just thought that Arsenal should have manifested themselves long before the end of the transfer window.

“I was already at Cobham, ready to sign with Chelsea, had passed my medical. So I decided I wasn’t going to change my mind.”

Remy’s commitment to Chelsea proved fruitful. Even as a backup to Diego Costa, he clocked up 27 appearances across all competitions in his inaugural season at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea clinched both the Premier League and League Cup trophies. Impressively, Remy notched nine goals from 10 starts in all competitions that season.

His second season at Stamford Bridge was tarnished by Chelsea’s dramatic downturn, culminating in a dismal 10th-place finish – their lowest since 1996 – with Mourinho being shown the door mid-season. Come 2016/17, under new boss Antonio Conte, Remy found himself loaned out to Crystal Palace, which meant he missed out on landing a second Premier League winners’ medal that season.

By the 2017/18 season, Remy was on the move again, this time signing with Las Palmas. All in all during his time with Chelsea, the Lyon-native amassed a tally of 12 goals in 47 showings.

“[Was moving to Chelsea] a mistake, or not? I don’t think it was,” reflected Remy. “At the end of the day, I won titles with Chelsea, but yes, it was a very complicated move behind the scenes!”