I shed tears when Rafa Benitez made me depart from Liverpool; it is his responsibility that my career was unsuccessful.

When Rafa Benitez asked me to depart from Liverpool, I wept; it is his responsibility that my career has been unsuccessful.

Anthony Le Tallec has accused Rafa Benitez of impeding his advancement, claiming that his former Liverpool manager is to blame. Gerard Houllier was the individual who initially transported the forward and his compatriot, Florent Sinama-Pongolle, from Le Havre to Liverpool in 2001.

Both players were 18 years old when they made their official transfer to Liverpool in the summer of 2003, after spending two years on loan at their French club. Le Tallec scored only once in 23 appearances during his inaugural season at Anfield.

In the summer of 2004, Benitez succeeded Houllier as manager, and he was loaned to Saint-Etienne. READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp’s statue caution clarifies Philippe Coutinho’s Liverpool transfer verdict READ MORE:

Southampton’s most recent injury updates following Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson updates from Liverpool “It is unusual for boys of their age to play so infrequently.”

“It is a genuine issue,” he stated at the time, as reported by LFC History. “When I believe that their coach is a former national team coach!” He is prohibited from signing them and refraining from playing them. It is an absolute disaster.”

Benitez responded to Le Tallec’s appeal by revealing that he had previously attempted to sign Pongolle and him while he was managing Valencia. Benitez disclosed,

“We attempted to secure the services of Sinama and Le Tallec for Valencia.” “My scout reported that he had observed two exceptional players; however, Liverpool paid a substantial sum for them, rendering the encounter insignificant.”

“We were aware that Sinama was the top scorer and Le Tallec was the best player in the Under-17 World Cup.” There is undoubtedly potential in their abilities; they are both proficient competitors.

They must perform at this level in order to develop a greater sense of self-assurance. In the summer of 2008, he made a permanent transfer to Le Mans for £1.1m, following loan stints with Sochaux and Le Mans in France.

Despite making 32 appearances for the Reds, the 39-year-old failed to fulfil his early potential at Anfield, netting once and assisting twice. He retired in 2021 after spending the majority of his career in France’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 with Auxerre, Valenciennes, Orleans, and Annecy, as well as limited time with Atromitos and Astra Giurgiu in Greece and Romania.

Le Tallec may seek to assign blame to Benitez for the trajectory of his career at Anfield and beyond; however, it is impossible to ascertain the extent to which his circumstances could have been altered had he not requested permission from the Spanish manager to depart the Reds in Summer 2004.