Dutch striker says leaving Liverpool was a bad mistake Ryan Babel has admitted that his decision to leave Liverpool for Hoffenheim in 2011 was a “panic move”. The Fulham forward, who equalised against the Reds last weekend, has told the Dutch media he left Anfield to further his career with the Netherlands national team, but in retrospect it was a mistake. Babel told Voetbol International via Sport Witness: “I went to Liverpool at a young age, but I played quite a lot in my first year. The club wanted to keep me, but yes, I was out of the picture with the Dutch national team. With the knowledge of today I know that I then I made a panic move to Hoffenheim. “Now they are a respected, stable sub-elite club, who are around eleventh, twelfth in the table. Afterwards I should have stayed at Liverpool, I was not so bad at all there.” Babel joined Liverpool in 2007 from Ajax in a deal worth €17million, penning a five-year deal after impressing during the 2007 Euro U21 tournament. The 32-year-old made 49 appearances in his first season, scoring 10 goals but he never really made the impact expected of him and he was sold to Hoffenheim for £8million after making 146 Liverpool appearances. He returned to the Premier League in January, arriving from Turkish side Besiktas on a deal at Craven Cottage until the end of the season. He has made nine appearances, scoring twice, including the leveller in Fulham’s 2-1 defeat to the Reds last weekend. Get the latest personalised Reds products on our new TEAMtalk Liverpool shop! The post Dutch striker says leaving Liverpool was a bad mistake appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Ryan Babel has admitted that his decision to leave Liverpool for Hoffenheim in 2011 was a “panic move”.

The Fulham forward, who equalised against the Reds last weekend, has told the Dutch media he left Anfield to further his career with the Netherlands national team, but in retrospect it was a mistake.

Babel told Voetbol International via Sport Witness: “I went to Liverpool at a young age, but I played quite a lot in my first year. The club wanted to keep me, but yes, I was out of the picture with the Dutch national team. With the knowledge of today I know that I then I made a panic move to Hoffenheim.

“Now they are a respected, stable sub-elite club, who are around eleventh, twelfth in the table. Afterwards I should have stayed at Liverpool, I was not so bad at all there.”

Babel joined Liverpool in 2007 from Ajax in a deal worth €17million, penning a five-year deal after impressing during the 2007 Euro U21 tournament.

The 32-year-old made 49 appearances in his first season, scoring 10 goals but he never really made the impact expected of him and he was sold to Hoffenheim for £8million after making 146 Liverpool appearances.

 

He returned to the Premier League in January, arriving from Turkish side Besiktas on a deal at Craven Cottage until the end of the season.

He has made nine appearances, scoring twice, including the leveller in Fulham’s 2-1 defeat to the Reds last weekend.

Get the latest personalised Reds products on our new TEAMtalk Liverpool shop!

 

The post Dutch striker says leaving Liverpool was a bad mistake appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Matthew Briggs