Liverpool target Yevhen Konoplyanka ‘cried’ after last-minute transfer move collapsed despite agreeing deal
Deadline Day is often a whirlwind of emotions, and for Ukrainian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka, it turned out to be a heart-wrenching experience. Back in 2014, the talented player was on the verge of realizing his dream move to Liverpool, only to see it shattered at the last minute.
Konoplyanka, then playing for his boyhood club Dnipro, had caught the attention of Liverpool with his stellar performances in both domestic and European competitions. He scored 13 goals and had 10 assists in 34 appearances that season. The 2013/14 Premier League campaign was a promising one for Liverpool, with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge forming a formidable partnership.
As the Deadline Day drama unfolded, Liverpool had seemingly secured the deal, and a delegation from the club, including serious individuals, arrived in Dnipropetrovsk for negotiations. Konoplyanka, on the verge of a move to one of Europe’s football giants, understandably sat elated.
The dream move to Liverpool was within grasp, and the Ukrainian winger was on the verge of making a significant step in his career.
However, the situation took an unexpected turn as Dnipro, his then-club, abruptly pulled the plug on the transfer. The Ukrainian winger, now 34, saw himself devastated, reduced to tears by the shattered dreams. Here is what he said in an interview with Weszlo via Daily Star:
“I was crying,”
“A delegation of serious people from Liverpool came to Dnipropetrovsk. We ate dinner. ‘Deal done’, they said. They were to pay as much as [owner] Ihor Kolomoyskyi wanted.”
“I had to go to Kolomoyskyi. ‘Please, please, please, let me go, I will make my dream come true’, I begged.”
Transfer Despair
Liverpool’s chief executive, Ian Ayre, flew to Ukraine to finalise the deal, but negotiations stood delayed by Kolomoyskyi. As the transfer window slammed shut, Liverpool’s hopes of securing Konoplyanka’s services remained impossible, leaving the player in a state of despair.
In the aftermath, Konoplyanka spent another year and a half at Dnipro before leaving the club on a free transfer to Sevilla in 2015. The dream move to Liverpool might have eluded him, but Konoplyanka’s journey continued, and his experiences on that Deadline Day serve as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of football transfers.
We have had our fair share of success on deadline day too; as Luis Suarez joined the Reds on Deadline Day of the January transfer window of the 2011-12 season.
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In the world of football, where emotions run high, and the business side of the game often collides with players’ aspirations, Konoplyanka’s tale serves as a reminder of the fine line between achieving dreams and the heartbreak of what might have been.
