"Manchester City and Chelsea were there - they were making offers," said Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez. "We had to be quick and the club acted quickly.
"It was down to the player whether he chose us or City or Chelsea and he chose us. It was very clear from talking to him that he wanted to play for Liverpool.
"He is English and that is important for the Champions League list. We were thinking about improving the team and Johnson is a very good player who will do that.
"He was important at Chelsea and in the last year at Portsmouth he has improved and is much better. One of the main things is his mentality - it's really good.
"He is a winner. I was impressed with the conversations I had with him. He wants to improve.
"There are two or three clubs asking about Alvaro Arbeloa. He would like to stay but he knows the competition will be hard.
"We could buy one more player without selling anyone. We now have to wait."
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