Hyypiä wanted Liverpool return

(GSM) – Former Liverpool defender Sami Hyypiä wanted to rejoin the Anfield club according to Bayer Leverkusen president Wolfgang Holzhauser.

New Reds boss Roy Hodgson had unsuccessfully attempted to re-sign the 36-year-old.

And Holzhauser told the Express newspaper: “Sami came to us asking if there would be any chance to return to Liverpool.

“We had an open discussion. Sami accepted straight away that we were desperate to keep him here.

“He is too important for us and a valuable part of our first-team squad. We could easily imagine keeping Sami at our club for more than the remaining year of his contract.

“He may add another season on the pitch and we are also considering adding him to our backroom staff afterwards, if he wants.”

Hyypia was released by former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez in 2008 after 10 years at the English club.

He played under Hodgson before, when the current Liverpool managed Finland in 2006-07.