Victor Muñoz speaks out after rejecting Newcastle for Liverpool

Newcastle United missed out on signing Spanish winger Victor Muñoz after a last-minute change of heart saw him sign for Liverpool.

The Magpies thought they had the deal all sewn up with everything agreed pending the formalities. A medical was even booked for the 22-year-old in America before Liverpool stepped up their interest at the 11th hour and nicked him from under Newcastle's noses.

It has become a bit of a nasty habit, Liverpool stealing our transfer targets when things are at an advanced stage, but the reality is, as far as ambitious players are concerned, as things stand, it's practically a no-brainer when faced with joining Newcastle or Liverpool.

Victor Muñoz has now spoken about his switch to Anfield with Spanish outlet EFE (via Cadenaser), where he said: “It’s an opportunity you can’t let slip by”.

Victor Muńoz says Andoni Iraola was a big part of his decision

The Spaniard also mentioned new Reds boss Andoni Iraola and how influential his compatriot was in helping him to make his decision.

“He conveyed his confidence in me, explained how his team plays. He played an important role in my decision.”

Muñoz is with the Spanish side at the World Cup but has yet to feature as he was nursing an injury from before the tournament started, but he is on the road to recovery.

Spanish player. Spanish manager. Did we really stand a chance?

As much as we don't like to admit it sometimes, there really is something to be said about international players feeling more comfortable moving to a new country to play for a manager from their own country. It's not the sole reason why Iraola was able to persuade Muñoz, but we bet it helped.

As we said before, when it comes to a choice between Liverpool and Newcastle, for many players the choice is far too obvious. There are some fans who will argue that point, and we certainly love the passion and loyalty, but Liverpool is still light years ahead of where we are right now.

That gap is closing, and one day, unless the Premier League dreams up more rules and regulations to stop us, we will close it completely, but for now, we have to be realistic.

Having said that, it doesn't mean we can't get angry when this kind of thing happens.