A surprise telephone conversation with Steven Gerrard prevented Danny Guthrie from backing out of his move to Tyneside, a decision the midfielder later revealed he would have regretted.
Guthrie experienced a crisis of confidence while travelling to finalise his £2million switch to Newcastle United in 2008, but an unexpected call from his Liverpool teammate Gerrard persuaded him to complete the transfer and enjoy a productive period with the club.
The two clubs the player represented will now meet in their opening Premier League fixture of the 2026/27 campaign. Guthrie had joined Liverpool’s youth system from Manchester United as a teenager back in 2002.
His deep connection to Liverpool, having supported them since childhood, meant that agreeing to join Newcastle left him feeling physically uncomfortable. Now aged 39, he revealed last year that he experienced serious reservations while driving up the A1 road to put pen to paper on a four-year deal.
Guthrie contacted his agent to express his concerns. However, after being advised by his representative to proceed and informed that he would ring back shortly, Guthrie received an unexpected call from Liverpool captain Gerrard.
Gerrard questioned what was happening when he learned his teammate was en route to Tyneside following acceptance of a bid. Guthrie explained he was having doubts about the switch, to which Gerrard responded that he was being foolish. Gerrard explained that Newcastle was a proper club and encouraged Guthrie to establish himself independently, build his confidence, and cement his place in the top flight rather than fade away at a major institution.
That conversation proved decisive. The moment Gerrard ended the call, Guthrie agreed he should proceed and formalised his registration with Newcastle.
Guthrie had managed only seven outings for Liverpool during the 2006/07 season prior to his 2008 transfer to St James’ Park. He remained with Newcastle for four campaigns, accumulating 104 appearances and contributing to their return to the Premier League following promotion in the 2009/10 term.
Following his time in the North East, Guthrie continued his career at Reading, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, Indonesian club Mitra Kukar, Walsall, and Icelandic team Fram, where he finally hung up his boots in 2022 after helping them achieve promotion the previous year.