Former Liverpool and Barnsley striker Lee Jones, who scored for Wrexham against West Ham in 1992 before joining the Reds, has spoken of his role in the pursuit of Darwin Nunez.
Darwin Núñez signs for Liverpool FC at the AXA Training Center(Image: Getty Images)
As Liverpool prepare to host Barnsley at Anfield for the FA Cup third round on Monday, former Wales international Lee Jones will be watching closely as two of his former clubs clash.
The 52-year-old former striker spent five years with the Reds in the 1990s but found himself playing second fiddle to the likes of Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore. In 1997, he moved to Tranmere, where he played under Liverpool legend John Aldridge, before spending two years with Barnsley at the dawn of the Millennium.
He then returned to his boyhood club Wrexham for a fourth season, having initially moved to Anfield from the Welsh team in 1992.
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Jones has fond FA Cup memories from his playing career, having been part of the Wrexham team that eliminated First Division champions Arsenal in 1992 before finding the net in the following round against West Ham.
After securing a transfer to Liverpool just months later, Jones credits those memorable cup performances with paving the way for his move to Anfield. “I have a couple of highlights in the FA Cup,” Jones told the Liverpool ECHO before Monday’s game.
“I was involved in Wrexham when we beat Arsenal in 1992. We were at the bottom of the English pyramid, 92nd in the Football League, and Arsenal were the defending champions, and we beat them 2-1 at the Hippodrome.
Núñez won the Premier League title in Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
“And then in the next game I came on as a substitute for Wrexham against West Ham and scored a 2-2 draw. Unfortunately in the replay they beat us 1-0.
“But yeah, I have good memories. I think I was moved to Liverpool because of the FA Cup goal against West Ham. “Graeme Souness came to see me about three or four weeks later, playing for Wrexham, and then he ended up signing me.
“I think our game against West Ham was in January, and then I ended up signing in March at Liverpool. So I must have done something pretty well in between to get the move to Liverpool!”
Since retiring from the game in 2013, Jones has enjoyed an interesting career. He became assistant manager at Altrincham last October, having previously held the same role at Wealdstone. Prior to that, he was overseeing Tranmere’s academy, as well as carrying out scouting duties at Burnley and Middlesbrough.
Former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez was among the players on Jones’ watch list during his time with the Clarets. However, while spotting talent is a challenge, persuading your club to secure your signature is an entirely different proposition.
“I saw absolutely a lot of things,” he recalled. “For example, we were watching Darwin Núñez when he was at Benfica, when I was at Burnley. Tijjani Reijnders, who is now at Manchester City. Mohammed Kudus, who was at West Ham and is now at Tottenham.
“So there are loads of things you look at when they are young. And then you see them following their different career paths, now playing in the Premier League. To be fair, you see some gems, but obviously at that point it is whether the club can afford it and whether the player really wants to come to Burnley, as he was, or to Middlesbrough.”
Click HERE to read the full interview with Lee Jones.
