"Did Liverpool take it for granted that Gareth Barry would sign for them? They may well have done," he said. "And did they miss out on Barry for that reason? They may well have done.
"All I will say is that I said to Barry's agent for us not to have the same debacle as last year, that they were perfectly at liberty to speak to other clubs - I assumed to the top four teams.
"Liverpool were aware of the price we were asking if that was the case. Liverpool did not contact us directly at all in this matter and never offered any money for him. So the impression I got was that eventually it was a straight choice.
"I am not protecting anyone here because it doesn't really matter. Barry had mentioned playing in the Champions League as a reason for going, that's a person's prerogative, but Liverpool had not put a bid in.
"There was an agent working, supposedly, on Liverpool's behalf, but there was no offer forthcoming. Barry left, so that was the point. Why Barry wanted to leave was up to him, where he went to was a bit of a surprise. But that was it."
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