Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has promised the club that he is 100% committed to their cause this season, after a summer in which he was left in transfer limbo.
Alonso began the summer as a target for Italian giants Juventus and looked set to seal a deal when he returned to Anfield after claiming the European Championship with Spain.
Rafa Benitez was desperate to raise the cash necessary to lure Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and Alonso was seen as an expendable resource.
Villa's £18million asking price remained beyond Liverpool's reach as Juventus' interest in Alonso cooled; they had already secured the signing of Sevilla midfielder Christian Poulsen for a fraction of what the Merseysiders wanted for Alonso.
A mooted move to Arsenal failed to materialise and now, strangely, Alonso finds himself back in the first team picture at Anfield after a season of uncertainty.
He, along with Javier Mascherano dominated Manchester United's midfield line in Saturday's 2-1 at Anfield, and the Spaniard believes that he is still held in good stead by the Kopites.
He has promised full focus for the coming campaign, and the club's Champions League endeavour begins in earnest tonight in Marseille.
He told the Daily Telegraph: "I am totally focused on Liverpool now. I have always really appreciated the support of Liverpool fans; they are really special. They know when a player is committed to the club and I always try to give 100 per cent."
Alonso began the summer as a target for Italian giants Juventus and looked set to seal a deal when he returned to Anfield after claiming the European Championship with Spain.
Rafa Benitez was desperate to raise the cash necessary to lure Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and Alonso was seen as an expendable resource.
Villa's £18million asking price remained beyond Liverpool's reach as Juventus' interest in Alonso cooled; they had already secured the signing of Sevilla midfielder Christian Poulsen for a fraction of what the Merseysiders wanted for Alonso.
A mooted move to Arsenal failed to materialise and now, strangely, Alonso finds himself back in the first team picture at Anfield after a season of uncertainty.
He, along with Javier Mascherano dominated Manchester United's midfield line in Saturday's 2-1 at Anfield, and the Spaniard believes that he is still held in good stead by the Kopites.
He has promised full focus for the coming campaign, and the club's Champions League endeavour begins in earnest tonight in Marseille.
He told the Daily Telegraph: "I am totally focused on Liverpool now. I have always really appreciated the support of Liverpool fans; they are really special. They know when a player is committed to the club and I always try to give 100 per cent."
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