Glen Johnson declares: he's come to Anfield to win trophies!

Liverpool’s first summer signing Glen Johnson was unveiled to the press today at Melwood. The player who has become the clubs record breaking defender says joining the Reds was an easy decision.

“Obviously it's a fantastic club with a great history and I've always had a little soft spot for Liverpool. I spoke to Rafa and I knew where I wanted to go in my stomach, so it was an easy decision. Rafa was keen to help me improve and turn me into the player I can be.”

Fabio Capello’s first choice right back was a hot target for a number of clubs including former employer Chelsea. But Johnson declared returning to Stamford Bridge was never an option. When asked how close he was to rejoining Chelsea, the defender stated:

“Not very close at all. I had a spell at Chelsea before and there were good and bad times but when a club like Liverpool comes in for you it is not a hard decision," he told the official site. "Obviously Portsmouth will know a lot more than me about that but according to the papers there was a lot of interest. But when I heard about Liverpool it was an easy decision. When I left Chelsea I needed to play games, and obviously I'm very grateful Portsmouth took me on. I played week in, week out and I like to think I showed people a better perspective of what I can do. Now I've been given this opportunity I want to try and do what I did last season and improve as a player.”

Speaking about the challenge that lays ahead in the coming season Johnson maintains the club needs to improve upon last years fantastic season.

“We've got a great team and a great squad. We'll try to make it as difficult as we can for everyone we play against. We are looking to improve throughout the whole squad. If we can pick up a few more points and make a few less mistakes then we can look to improve. The boys did fantastically well last year. Hopefully we can now get a few more points and steal it from Manchester United. We want to go as far as we can in every competition but all the lads want to win the Premier League and that would be a great start."

Johnson says he’s come to the club to win trophies and he’s energized about putting on the Liverpool kit on for the first time and hearing the Anfield crowd sing:

“I'm delighted. I've come to win a few trophies. I knew Carra and Stevie and some of the other lads from playing against them. I am looking forward to it. Funnily enough, even though I am from south London, the first football kit I ever had was a Liverpool kit. It's a fantastic club - one of the biggest in the world. It's got a great history and I wanted to be a part of that. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you come to Anfield and hear You'll Never Walk Alone even when you don't play for Liverpool, so I cannot begin to imagine how it is going to feel when I put the kit on for the first time.”

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is delighted with the signing:

"We are really pleased because we've signed a really good player, an England international. It's very positive. He has quality and a very good mentality, and from the first time I spoke with him it was clear he wanted to come here.

"He has quality, that's clear. He's more mature - you can see from the press conference he is good.

"Chelsea were trying to win big trophies at the time he was there and they needed experience in order to win. Now it is a good moment because he is a much better player, he has the experience and the desire."