‘What have I done?’ – Why Peter Crouch wanted to leave Liverpool ‘as fast as possible’

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Peter Crouch enjoyed a great career in the Premier League, playing as a striker for several clubs including Liverpool.

He joined the Reds in 2005 under Rafa Benitez for just £7m from Southampton, and he did not have the best of starts at Anfield.

It took him 19 games before he scored his first competitive goal for Liverpool. But once he broke that duck, Peter Crouch went on to become a fan favourite with his technical ability, intelligent link-up play, and knack for scoring spectacular goals.

However, that early goal drought was a particularly challenging time for the former England international, who previously opened up about how he seriously considered leaving Liverpool during that period.

Peter Crouch on wanting to leave Liverpool during his early struggles at Anfield

While answering fan questions for FourFourTwo in 2018, Crouch opened up on his early struggles at the club, admitting that he at one point regretted joining Liverpool.

He admitted that he struggled to play the way Benitez wanted him to and eventually went against his wishes to play higher up, which helped him find his scoring form. He said: “Yeah, I went through a little barren spell – well, quite a big barren spell [laughs] – and I really just wanted to head back to Southampton as fast as possible. I was thinking, ‘What have I done?’ Thankfully I stuck it out.

“The manager wanted me to do different things to what I was used to. I was doing them and working really hard, but I was trying to score that goal while playing a lot deeper. It got to the stage where I was saying to myself, ‘I’m going to have to start being a bit more selfish,’ so I played higher up the pitch… perhaps against the manager’s wishes.

“I finally started to score a few goals and the fans wanted me in the team more, though the manager wanted me in the team less! That was possibly where we clashed a little bit, but I’ve got nothing bad to say about Rafa. He was first class.”

Peter Crouch’s time at Liverpool

Despite his early struggles, Crouch went on to become a firm fan favourite at the club, playing a key role in Liverpool’s domestic and European campaigns during his three years at the club.

He made 135 appearances for the Reds, scoring 42 and assisting 23 across all competitions, including some spectacular goals like the iconic bicycle kick against Galatasaray in the Champions League.

His record in the Premier League across all clubs stands at 106 goals and 61 assists in 468 games. He was also a prolific striker for England, scoring 22 goals in 42 appearances for the country.

He left Liverpool in 2008 but is fondly remembered by the fans for his contributions during his stint as well as his professionalism and attitude both on and off the pitch.