New Birmingham City signing Alexander Hleb has sensationally revealed he turned down Premier League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham to sign for the Blues.
The 29-year-old playmaker has joined the Premier League club from Barcelona on a season-long loan deal having spent last season with Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart.
Hleb – formerly of Arsenal, where he made 130 appearances in all competitions – has spoken for the first time since joining Birmingham and said he had rejected the sides of Roy Hodgson and Harry Redknapp this summer.
The Belarus international felt the Blues wanted to sign him more than anyone else and that made up his mind despite the lack of European football on offer with Alex McLeish’s side.
The player says Portuguese champions Benfica had also been chasing him.
"I had a few options - Liverpool, Tottenham and Benfica," Hleb revealed to ITV Sport. "It was necessary to explore each one.
"I wasn't able to come to an agreement with one of them.
"But Birmingham clearly wanted to do the deal more than the others, which is why I made my choice."
McLeish has said the signing of Hleb is like a ‘dream’ for his side, who has also signed defender Martin Jiranek on deadline day.
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