Forgotten ex-Tottenham and England star now unemployed aged 33 after he is released from Championship club
FORMER Tottenham and England star Jake Livermore is now unemployed after being released by his club.
Livermore, 33, has seen his exit from Championship side West Brom confirmed following the release of the club’s retained and released lists.
His departure ends his six-and-a-half stay at The Hawthorns, having joined from Hull in January 2017.
Livermore was called up for England selection during his time with the Baggies, earning seven caps while also being named on Gareth Southgate’s standby list for the 2018 World Cup.
On top of his 68 Premier League apperances for West Brom, he also played 92 times for Hull and 36 times for Tottenham in England’s top flight.
In the division he scored seven goals and added nine assists.
Club captain Livermore said goodbye to the Baggies faithful in an open letter in April.
He said it was: “an honour and privilege to represent this great football club.
“I have called The Hawthorns my home for the last six-and-a-half years, and such is my love for this club, it’s fans and, especially, its incredible, hardworking staff, that it will remain my football home forever – but now the time for me to say goodbye as a player is approaching.
“There have been some unforgettable highs on the pitch that I will always cherish.
“The emotion of my late goal against Tottenham, representing the club at international level for England, my winner against Birmingham City and, of course, captaining the side to promotion in 2020…
“This will always be my football club, if you will accept me as an honorary Baggie.
“My kids have been brought up as Albion fans and, no matter what happens next, I’ll be a regular visitor to The Hawthorns – which will always hold a special place in my heart – long into the future.”
Livermore’s time as a Three Lion marked a remarkable turnaround for his career.
He had tested positive for cocaine in April 2015 after revealing he had struggled to come to terms with the tragic death of his baby boy.
Staff claimed the baby was not born alive in May 2014 but heartbroken Livermore said: “I heard him cry faintly.”
Livermore struggled with depression following the harrowing events.
His drug use did not result in a ban after the FA ruled the death was an overwhelming mitigating factor.
He said of the positive test: “It was like getting out of prison, people finally knew there was something not right in my head.
“It was completely out of character for anything that I have ever been about.
“Finally I could be myself instead of putting on a brave face 24/7.
“At home, at work, getting a coffee, at the shops, you’re constantly trying to be someone you’re not and show emotions you’re not really feeling, because as soon as you shut your front door you become the broken man you actually are.
“So for me, it was a relief. The drugs were irrelevant. It could have been drugs, a gun, a car crash or whatever, the self-destruct button was the problem.
“The way in which [his death] happened made it difficult to fight my own demons.
“If you lose a child in God’s hands it is completely different. To find out why he had died, that was too much for my head and my heart to take.”