Lucas Leiva reveals why he left Liverpool
- Kaustubh Pandey
Now 30, Lucas joined Lazio for a fee in the region of 5 million euros from Liverpool, following ten-year long stay at the club from Merseyside. The midfielder has become an important player for the biancocelesti this season, appearing in 13 games across all competitions already.
Lucas, ahead of Lazio’s derby game against Roma, was talking to Corriere dello Sport. He said: " When he( Simone Inzaghi) called my agent and offered me a chance to come to Lazio, I thought very well . After spending ten years at Liverpool, I needed a new challenge and Lazio, the Italian championship, the city of Rome, were all very positive factors for deciding to come here to play. How Lazio were playing last season affected me too, it was positive and the opportunity to play in the Europa League convinced me definitively. I understand how important it is to accept this proposal. "
He also told that he was close to a move to Inter last summer. He said: " In the past, I was close to Inter . There is no reason why they did nothing to complete the transfer. Yes it is true, Mancini wanted me , knew me from the days when trained in England, I played many times against Manchester City. There were no agreements between Inter and Liverpool . And for me, there weren’t any the preconditions not staying"