Schwarzer was at the heart of a transfer debacle from Middlesborough in 2005, when the Aussie shot-stopper was one of the Premier League's finest performers.

There were persistent links with Arsenal and after a falling out with then-Middlesborough boss Maclaren, Schwarzer handed in a transfer request. Middlesborough publicly accepted the request, then Maclaren privately blocked moves from England and Spain.

The Socceroos legend says that Maclaren dealt with him dubiously and lost his respect.

“Whenever someone is under real pressure you get to see someone’s true colours," he told England's All To Play For podcast.

“What I can’t handle and found very difficult, I don’t understand why so many managers do it, is they’re not honest with you.

“You lose respect from a player straight away and that happened with me with him. He was never honest with me. I called him out a few times and it led to me putting in a transfer request and wanting to leave the club.

“Even after I came back off it, because they wouldn’t let me go, he lied to me again."

Schwarzer eventually rescinded the request and led Australia to the 2006 World Cup and Middlesborough to the 2006 UEFA Cup final. But when he eventually left Middlesborough, he went to Fulham in 2008. Arsenal again tried to sign Schwarzer in 2010, but Wenger said by that stage, the Aussie stopper was "too expensive". 

He wouldn't go on to play for a Premier League giant until Chelsea in 2013, when he was already 40-years-old.

“I should have gone back in there and hammered him for it, but it was 2006 going upto the World Cup, European Cup final going up and I was like ‘I’ve just got to get back to playing," Schwarzer said.

“We were on our way to hopefully getting to the European Cup final at that time, the transfer window was closing and I was just like well I’ve got to get back to playing games.”