Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert has revealed why he turned down the chance to complete a £5 million switch to Aston Villa in the recent January transfer window.
The 33-year-old was offered the chance to leave, given the increased game time on offer at Villa Park, but opted to stay and fight for a place in the Reds' side just months after achieving a boyhood dream in signing for Liverpool.
Despite rejecting offers from Hull City and Crystal Palace earlier in the window, Villa's offer of £5 million was too tempting not to reject - with the move offering the Reds the chance to make a profit on an ageing centre forward with just over a year left on his contract.
But Lambert, talking to the Liverpool ECHO, insisted: "It was very close but I just couldn’t do it."
"I wasn’t actually aware of any interest until deadline day," the experienced striker said.
"I got a phone call from the gaffer about 4pm saying Aston Villa had come in. He said he didn’t want me to go but basically offered me the chance if I wanted to play football, which is fair enough.
"I spoke to my agent, I spoke to my wife, I spoke to Aston Villa and it was close. It was very close. It was touch and go. We agreed everything."
But just how late was the decision? Lambert added that the striker had only a couple of hours before the transfer deadline to make up his mind: "The deal was agreed, but in the end, there just wasn’t enough time to say ‘yes’ - to make a decision in the space of four or five hours for the next two-and-a-half-years. Not just for me, but for my family as well.
"It was something I just couldn’t do. It was too short notice. It was too big of a decision to make in the short amount of time I had.
“It was late. It was about half nine (when I made my mind up). I would have had to have gone and done the medical then. I’d done that once before when Bristol Rovers came in for me on deadline day. Back then I was driving down in the car and negotiating the contract. That would have had to have been the same again. But at the last minute I said no.
"It was nothing negative towards Aston Villa, it’s a great club. I just didn’t think it was right for me to leave here just six months into my Liverpool career. I didn’t want to go."
Lambert, who has three goals in 26 appearances for the Reds, continued to say how it was too hard for him to give up an opportunity he only realised only eight months ago.
"It was something that I would have probably looked back at a few years down the line and regretted if I had moved too early," he said. "It was very close but I just couldn’t do it. It’s hard sometimes when you aren’t playing but I’m at the club I love. I’m not willing to give that up easily."
The 33-year-old admitted that boss Brendan Rodgers, who acquired the ex-Southampton frontman's services for £4 million last summer, was delighted to hear of his decision.
"Brendan was made up," Lambert said. "We had been speaking throughout the day and I was asking him for his help. I spoke to everyone who is close to me. In the end it came down to the amount of time I had to think about it and the thought of leaving Liverpool after six months.
"The gaffer was offering me the chance to go and play football and I respected that. He had said ‘it’s up to you’. He wanted me here but couldn’t guarantee me starting time.
"The team is playing well at the minute. I’m not the type to make a fuss anyway. I’ll keep my head down and work hard in training. I’m not going to be knocking on his door demanding to play."
Lambert had originally been on the books at Liverpool before he was released by the Academy at the age of 15, but has obviously relished the opportunity to return to Anfield. Regardless of his struggle to start, having made 16 appearances from the bench and began a game only 10 times, Lambert insists he will take every chance he is given to impress.
"There is a lot of competition," Lambert added, with Daniel Sturridge returning to full fitness and Mario Balotelli entering the picture.
"This is a massive club with great players. I’ve had runs in the team. Obviously, I want to play every game but I knew when I came in the first place that I wasn’t going to play as much as I did at Southampton.
"Hopefully there are more occasions to come like the goal against Aston Villa and I can help the team at other times between now and the end of the season. I know it’s down to me to make the most of the games I get.
"I knew when I made the decision that I wasn’t going start being the main striker, but I knew that there would still be moments there. There’s going to be even more moments coming up where I can help the team and hopefully get a few more goals and memories. There’s a possible chance of two cup finals."
Lambert finished, talking of his desire for a goal on home turf. He has scored three times already, but all have been away from Anfield - and the forward is desperate to add to his tally on Merseyside.
"I’d love to get one at Anfield," he said. "It’s something I’m desperate for. But as long as I’m scoring I’ll be happy. It all about helping the team. There’s a lot to play for."