JUNE 26
Johnson signs four-year deal

By James Carroll - LFC Official Website

England defender Glen Johnson has today put pen to paper on a four-year Anfield deal.

The 24-year-old full-back arrives from Portsmouth and becomes Rafa Benitez's first major acquisition of the summer ahead of the 2009-10 season.

His squad number has yet to be decided.

Johnson's career began with Harry Redknapp at West Ham but after just 15 appearances and a loan spell at Millwall he became the first signing for new Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in 2003.

The Londoner's league debut for the Blues came at Anfield against Liverpool in August of the same year.

Three months later he made his international debut against Denmark as a substitute for Gary Neville.

Johnson won a Premier League title winner's medal and a League Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge but he was loaned to Portsmouth by Jose Mourinho in 2006.

The deal was made permanent a year later and the England man went on to be a massive hit with the Fratton Park faithful.

He helped the club to FA Cup glory in 2008 - and the season that followed brought a host of personal accolades.

Despite Pompey finishing 14th in the league, Johnson was selected at right-back in the PFA Team of the Year for 2008-09. His screaming left-foot volley against Hull on November 22 also won Match of the Day's Goal of the Season.

The defender has amassed 15 caps for England and was named as Nationwide's man-of-the-match in the Three Lions' recent World Cup qualifying victory over Andorra at Wembley after claiming three assists in the game.

Away from the pitch, our new boy established the Glen Johnson Soccer School' in Dartford, Kent back in 2007 for children aged between four and 16.

JUNE 19
Callaghan sees Shankly in Benitez

By James Pearce - Daily Post

Liverpool old boy Ian Callaghan reckons Anfield boss Rafa Benitez has a hint of Bill Shankly in his make-up.

But the former Kop favourite, who saw at first hand what the legendary Scot achieved at the club, says the Spaniard will never be held in similar esteem even if he does finally end Liverpool’s wait for the Premier League crown next season.

“A lot of progress has been made over the past five years and Rafa is emerging as a fantastic manager in the club’s history,” said Callaghan, who made a record 857 appearances for the club.

“I really admire him and what he has achieved so far is exceptional.

“He has won the Champions League and the FA Cup, got to another Champions League final and just missed out on the title.

“This is the best league in the world and it’s very difficult when you’ve got other big clubs spending a great deal of money.

“But we came so close last season and if he can keep the squad together we only need a couple of additions.

“The Premier League has to be the number one priority because that’s what all the fans want. I’m looking forward to watching us make the next step.”

Callaghan knows all about gifted tacticians wrestling control of the club having been at Anfield during Shankly’s reign.

He signed as an apprentice in 1960 – just a few months after the Scotsman had taken over – and stayed for 18 years.

In that time the club were transformed from Second Division strugglers into champions of Europe.

Shankly resigned in 1974 after his 15 years in charge had yielded the Second Division title, three First Division championships, two FA Cups and the Uefa Cup.

“Like Bill Shankly, Rafa is a strong personality but you can’t really compare them,” Callaghan said.

“No disrespect to Rafa, but there will only ever be one Bill Shankly.

“He was in charge for 15 years and what he achieved was unbelievable. I was privileged to play under him

“Liverpool were a Second Division club going nowhere when he took over in 1959.

“We really needed someone who was very strong and outgoing to turn the club around because we weren't going anywhere until Shanks arrived.

“The foundations were laid by Shanks and Bob (Paisley) carried it on. Shanks turned the club around and got us back into the top division.

“It took a few seasons to get what he wanted but he changed everything. Liverpool are where they are today thanks to him.

“I would love to see Rafa go on to emulate what Shanks achieved.

“It’s been far too long since the club won the title and hopefully Steven Gerrard will finally get his hands on the trophy next season.”

Fans may still be waiting for the Reds’ first new signing to be paraded – but it has already been a summer of change at Anfield.

Celebrating his fifth anniversary this week as Liverpool boss, the Spaniard knows his position has never been stronger.

Benitez has finally secured the kind of influence he has always craved, his frustration at the Reds’ failure to complete transfer deals eased by the departure of chief executive Rick Parry.

Now Benitez has a much more hands-on role in securing targets.

Just like Bill Shankly when he walked into Anfield nearly 50 years ago, Benitez has a vision.

And he won’t be afraid to make difficult decisions which he believes will benefit Liverpool in the long term.

JUNE 19
Carra hopes Reds remain intact

By Chris Burton - Sky Sports

Jamie Carragher is hoping Liverpool's financial troubles will not see a summer exodus at Anfield.

Recent reports of monetary problems at the Merseyside club have fuelled speculation that a number of top stars could be sold over the coming weeks.

The Reds have been quick to ease supporter angst by insisting that will not be case, promising that new arrivals remain the priority - not sales.

Carragher admits it is vitally important that stance is backed up, with Liverpool keen to build on last season's second place finish in the Premier League.

"I'm like any fan, I get excited about who we might bring in. The players are exactly the same as the man on the street, you pick up the paper hoping you are going to see you've signed someone," he told Sky Sports News.

"But this summer there has been a bit of speculation about players moving on, so at the moment I'm hoping that doesn't happen rather than people come in. We have got a great side at the moment, and I'm sure the manager will make a couple of additions, but we don't want to lose anyone."

Plaudits
One of those linked with a summer exit is Spanish schemer Xabi Alonso, but Carragher hopes those reports prove wide of the mark.

"He and Stevie Gerrard were probably our best two players last season. I think Stevie won Footballer of the Year, but if you asked the fans I think they would maybe say that Alonso was our best player last season so he is certainly someone we don't want to lose," he said.

Carragher also believes that Cristiano Ronaldo's record-breaking move to Real Madrid will help the chasing pack to close on champions Manchester United next term, but admits the Red Devils will still be a force to be reckoned with in 2009/10.

He added: "He's a great player and I think he will be a big miss for the Premiership. He makes a big difference to Manchester United, even though they have a lot of other great players, and I think he was the one for them.

"But I'm sure Sir Alex Ferguson knows what he is doing and to have £80million to go and spend, that's a lot of money. It will be difficult to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, but maybe they will do it a different way and get two or three players.

"It's difficult to replace that, but I'm sure they will sort it out. Hopefully they won't bring in someone as good as Ronaldo!"

JUNE 9
Benitez insists he is
happy with his transfer budget

Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has revealed he was fully aware of the club’s financial problems before he signed his new five-year contract in March.

And a defiant Benitez insists he is happy with his transfer budget and still aims to bring in "one or two" top signings ahead of next season.

The Liverpool boss was speaking in the wake of the release of the club’s worrying financial figures last week, underlining the need for prudence in the transfer market.

The damaging financial reality hit home when accounts, for the season 2007-08, showed Kop Holdings lost £42.6million on the year.

Kop Holdings is the company set up by under-fire American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to run Liverpool.

Although the football club made a £10million profit, that money was swallowed up in paying the interest on the loans taken out by the Americans to buy the club.

Benitez reveals he was working last season to tie key players to new contracts, fully aware of the financial straits at the club that would be exposed this summer.

He said: "We spent some money to solve that situation, to guarantee the extension of those contracts. Now we need to improve a little bit because we are in a very good position.

"Yes, we knew it would be difficult, especially as there is a (financial) crisis all around the world.

"But when I decided to sign a five-year extension to my contract, I knew in my own mind that Liverpool is more than just a club, it is the heart of the city. It is our life.

"It means so much to a lot of people. We had to sign, we have to fight, we have to do it because we wanted to do it. The people in Liverpool are always fighters, they have done that all their lives.

"We know that. We also knew that the (financial) situation was not fantastic. But we still have a lot of confidence in our squad and we want to fight (for the title) again next season."

Benitez, who has also dismissed claims he wants Napoli’s Argentinian striker Ezequiel Lavezzi, continued: "Every single year, every single week, every single day you can always talk to fans who say they are supporting you, supporting the team.

"You can see the passion is so strong and that makes a massive difference. This city has great passion, Everton fans have similar passion for their club and that is really good and our fans are amazing.

"When I talk with people in Spain (they are aware of it). Now we will go to the Far East in the summer and we will see the same thing, so many people talking about us and the club.

"It shows to me that this place is more than just a football club. It is clear that it is life to so many people."

Benitez again maintained Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso is not for sale and he will fight to ensure Javier Mascherano does not fall into the hands of European champions Barcelona following remarks from the Argentinian’s agent today suggesting a deal would suit the player.

Benitez said: "Our position is very clear. We want to keep our best players and Xabi has done really well for us.

"Alonso has three years left on his contract so he is not for sale."

And, concerning the financial restraints, Benitez is now crucially talking about only "one or two" additions to his squad.

He added: "I will not give any figures (about spending power) and I will keep working without saying anything on that.

"But we do not have too much money, that is clear. But we have enough money to add one or two players that we need.

"I am very happy with the squad, they have been really good and we have competed on every front so, if we can sign one or two players, I am really positive and believe that we can improve.

"I am also positive because I have spoken about Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard not playing in the same side too many times and I hope that will change.

"We have a very good squad if we can improve just a little bit. How much do we need to improve to win a title, will it be enough?

"Certainly it will be enough to compete like last season and again we will try to compete for all the trophies right to the end.

"We have always known the (financial) situation around the world would be difficult and we would see clubs asking about some of our players.

"So the priority was to keep the key players here on new (long-term) contracts. The players who are the spine of the team."

JUNE 7
Rafa: Spine is there,
we'll find rest

By Jimmy Rice - LFC Official Website

Rafa Benitez believes he has assembled the spine of a title-winning side - and claims the club is working tirelessly behind the scenes to find any missing links this summer.

Benitez has made retaining current stars a priority over the last two months, with new deals agreed for Daniel Agger, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt.

The Anfield boss now hopes to add to his talented squad over the coming months.

"We are working very hard to keep the spine of the team - that was always the idea," Benitez told LFC Magazine.

"We have Pepe Reina as the number one goalkeeper with Diego Cavalieri behind him, another good goalkeeper. Then we have Skrtel, Carragher and Agger - three good centre-backs.

"Then you go to the midfield with Alonso, Mascherano, Lucas and Gerrard, with Torres up front and Ngog, who is a very good prospect. We have a good squad that is still young, so hopefully we can improve further.

"We know we still need to improve in some specific areas. We will be working very hard to do that over the summer."

This month marks the fifth anniversary of Benitez's arrival in England.

His brief back in June 2004 was to repeat the trick he performed with Valencia in La Liga - breaking the stranglehold of two dominant and high-spending teams using less resource.

Five years on, Benitez has taken the Reds closer to the league title than at any time since 1990 - but he admits transforming Liverpool from top four also-rans to genuine championship contenders has been a tall order.

"We didn't know everything when we first arrived here," said the boss. "Now we can see little things that can make a massive difference.

"Now we know these things we can be more precise, sign players in a better way, approach games and different competitions in a better way. We know the rules and the style of the game in England much better now.

"Maybe sometimes you don't need as long to start challenging as it has taken us. But when the other teams are so strong it becomes much more difficult. You can try to move fast, but if they go as fast as you, you have to go faster.

"The only way to do that is to try to sign the right players every single time.

"With Sami Hyypia leaving we have just two players left at the club from when I took over - Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

"Coming to a club that needs a lot of work is a massive difference to arriving at a club without too many changes to make. From my time here, Chelsea and United already had big squads with top-class players. They have both spent big money since and improved a lot.

"We could not spend that kind of money, but look at the level of the squad now compared to five years ago. We have had to work hard rebuilding the whole squad.

"It's not just a case of saying, 'Oh, Liverpool should win because they are spending.' The other clubs are spending too but had better squads from the beginning. That is why if we are to reduce the gap we have to do things almost perfectly.

"We have learned together what it means to stay close to the top of the table from the beginning to the end. I am sure that will help us in the future."

MAY 26
Rafa wants to deal quickly

By Alex Livie - Setanta Sports

Rafa Benitez has insisted he intends to conduct his transfer business during the early weeks of the summer.

The dust has barely settled on the Premier League season, but thoughts are already turning to next term.

Benitez is likely to be an active player in the transfer market as he embarks on building a side capable of landing the title.

The Spaniard feels the key to mounting a title challenge will be to bed in any recruits as quickly as posslble.

“Clearly we want to sign players but we know that it will be difficult to find players who are better than what we already have,” Benitez told the Liverpool Echo.

“It is not easy to find this kind of player in the current market and if we do then maybe they will be too expensive or not available.

“But we have to sign the right players and make the right decisions during the summer.

“We have some targets but right now it is too soon because some clubs do not know what the future holds for them but we will wait and see.

“But our idea is to have players signed before pre-season begins because this would be perfect.

“It means you can start working with them and training with them with the ideas that you want to get across to them so that they can start putting them into practice on the pitch.”

MAY 17
Rafa eyes key
Liverpool additions

TEAMtalk

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is eyeing a series of shrewd summer spending as he bids to close the gap on three-time champions Manchester United.

The Reds have failed to win a Premier League title but this year came close - taking United almost to the wire.

Benitez knows he must strengthen his squad in the summer to bridge the gap - but as Liverpool lack the financial might of the Red Devils, he must buy wisely.

The Spaniard said: "Clearly they (Man United) have spent big, big money on top class players so they can make mistakes and change players and you don't notice.

"If you remember when we played them they had Giggs, Scholes and Berbatov on the bench - we can't do this

"We are talking about Gerrard and Torres all the time and they can play Berbatov, Rooney, Ronaldo or Tevez - it doesn't matter.

"They can hold 35,000 more fans in their stadium and that means more money which is a big difference.

"So how can you reduce the gap? Now, on the pitch we are reducing the gap which is very important. So we have to do the right things during the summer and keep the same mentality on the pitch."

Benitez believes investing in a bigger squad will pay dividends at the business end of the season.

"I think we have performed really well during the season, but it is impossible to keep this level if you don't have a big squad," he said.

"Some Manchester United players have spoken about the value of having a big squad saying that you can notice the difference at the end of the season.

"On the pitch we must perform at the same level, but you need to bring in new players and maintain the same level and keep the competition between the players - with everybody working hard and trying to be positive because there is a big difference every year in terms of money."

MAY 16
Title race over
but the signs are promising

Comment by Matt Ladson - This is Anfield

Arsenal’s failure to take three points at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime means the Premier League title remains Man United’s for a third successive season, and gives them their record equalling 18th League Championship.

No Liverpool supporter in their right mind would have imagined 19 years ago when the Reds won their 18th title, that it would be possible for United to equal our record before we won it again.

But im not going to dwell on the last 19 years, we need to look at the present and the future.

Earlier this season I was slaughtered by some when I publicly criticised Rafa Benitez following the Wigan draw, despite me saying I wouldn’t want anything more than him to turn things around and go on to win us the title. Since then things have turned around; some mighty impressive victories over Real, United and Chelsea, and we finally started playing some good football.

People might point to the Arsenal draw as the night we lost the title, but that’s complete rubbish. 4-4 at home to Arsenal wasn’t a title-losing match. Nor was the Mancs’ continual late victories coming from behind against Villa, Spurs, Sunderland and Wigan. The title was lost when we drew to Stoke (twice), Wigan, Hull, West Ham, Fulham, Man City and lost at Middlesbrough.

A telling statistic in where the title was won and lost is pretty simple; Liverpool have drawn 7 at home, while United have drawn 2. Apart from that head-to-head we’re pretty even. If only 2 of them draws had been turned into wins, and therefore given us four more points, the title race would be going to the final day at least.

The positives are, we’re on course for our highest ever points total in the Premier League (previous best 82 points, currently on 80). Potentially we can end the season on 86 points, which would have been enough to win the title in 2000-01 and 2002-03.

The further positive is that we are achieving this having not had two of the top five players in World football today at our disposal for over half our games this season.

Last summer we made some excellent additions off the pitch, with the arrival of Sammy Lee and Mauricio Pellegrino seemingly improving the coaching staff. Our signings on the pitch haven’t been so successful; only Riera can be described as somewhat of a success.

The right additions to the playing staff this summer, with hopefully no distractions off the pitch, and we’ll be even closer again next season.

Admittedly, last summer I thought somewhat similarly and was surprised by the signing of Robbie Keane after the way Torres and Gerrard had finished the previous season in tandem. That’s why I hope we don’t sign another forward looking to pair him up with Torres; we have the best front two in World football, why break it up? Especially when we have such a blend in midfield with Mascherano and Alonso behind them.

I’d love to see a quality arrival to supplement Gerrard and Kuyt behind Torres, yes David Silva would fit the bill perfectly in my opinion.

I’d also like to see a decent forward as back-up for Torres, someone who can provide an option, isn’t necessarily happy to sit on the bench but still would get plenty of games. I’d also like to see a right back arrive, Glenn Johnson would be ideal there. No disrespect to Arbeloa but the two weakest positions in our team at present are left wing and right back. I’m a massive fan of Insua and he and Aurelio are good enough for the left back spot, with Arbeloa also capable of covering there.

Hopefully we’ll see the season end on a high still, two wins would be one hell of an end to the season, hopefully the goalscorer on the final day against Spurs will be Big Sami at the Kop end.

APRIL 28
Benítez still wants Barry
at Liverpool but he must sell first

By Andy Hunter - The Guardian

Rafael Benítez has revealed he must sell players to satisfy his transfer needs at Liverpool this summer but believes there will be no repeat of the protracted moves that thwarted his pursuit of Gareth Barry last year.

The Aston Villa midfielder remains on the wanted list of a Liverpool manager who will have about £20m-£30m to spend at the end of this season plus whatever he can generate through player sales. The Valencia pair of David Silva and Raúl Albiol interest Benítez, although he said the former was out of Liverpool's price range, while the Portsmouth defender Glen Johnson has been linked with a move to Anfield.

Under the terms of his contract Benítez must receive permission from the club's owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, to conclude signings. To secure all his targets the Spaniard will again have to inflate his budget by off-loading players, as was the case last summer when he tried to sell Xabi Alonso to Juventus to fund a deal for Barry, only for Villa's £18m valuation and anger over Benítez's public approach to stifle Liverpool's interest.

"Every single year it is important to sign good players, the right players. This year will be the same," the Liverpool manager said. "We know we have better players and it will be more difficult to find better players than we have now. But still we have to do it. We are working very hard during the whole season, looking and watching players. I think that we will be ready. We are working on targets and we will try to do things as quickly as possible and as cheap as possible."

Asked if he knew how much he had to spend, Benítez responded: "More or less I have an idea. Clearly we have to work hard and maybe we need to sell someone."

The Dutch international, Ryan Babel, is likely be sold as Alonso has responded to last summer's auction with an excellent campaign. Babel, an £11.5m recruit from Ajax in 2007, has 13 starts in all competitions this season and made little progress in the wide left role that Benítez had envisaged for him. Other possible departures include the Italian left-back Andrea Dossena and Daniel Agger. The Danish international has not reached agreement over a contract extension at Anfield and his exit would prompt a move for the Valencia defender Albiol. Benítez said he was confident the defender would extend his career with Liverpool. "The talks are progressing," his manager added.

Benítez will look to sell Andriy Voronin and is adamant the Ukrainian striker will not extend his loan spell with Hertha Berlin for another season. Liverpool are still awaiting a firm offer from the German club for Voronin. Jermaine Pennant is expected to leave Anfield at the end of this season, but is available on a free transfer.

APRIL 3
Kuyt agrees Liverpool extension

BBC Sport Online

Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has joined Steven Gerrard in agreeing a new two-year deal to stay at Anfield.

The 28-year-old Dutchman had one year remaining on his existing deal and will stay at the club until 2012.

"This is another great piece of news for the club," said Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

"Dirk had one year left on his contract and we were keen for him to stay. He is a player with great quality who has a big part to play in our future."

The news that Kuyt had agreed an extension came just hours after it was revealed club captain Gerrard would remain at with the Reds until 2013.

Benitez added: "To have announced new deals for Steven and Dirk on the same day shows how hard everyone is working and that we are moving forward quickly as a club.

"These are very positive messages and I am very happy."

Kuyt joined Liverpool from Feyenoord in the summer of 2006 in a deal believed to be worth about £10m.

He arrived as a striker but has been used predominantly as a right winger during his time on Merseyside, scoring 10 goals in 41 appearances this season.

APRIL 3
Gerrard signs new deal

By Dave Prentice - Liverpool Echo

Steven Gerrard has agreed a new two-year contract extension - barely a fortnight after talks opened with Liverpool.

The Reds skipper has agreed terms on a deal which will keep him at Anfield until 2013.

"This is fantastic news for the club," said a delighted boss Rafa Benitez today.

"Steven has once again shown his commitment and it was an easy deal to agree. As soon as we offered him the option he said 'yes'. There were no problems at all. He wants to stay for life.

"This deal sends out another clear message that we are moving forward as a club. To know we have a player of Steven's quality with us for many more years is a great boost for the club and the fans.

"He is clearly a player who inspires those around him and even though he is playing very well at the moment, I still think his best years are ahead of him."

Remarkably talks with Gerrard only began after Benitez had signed his own new deal two-and-a-half weeks ago.

The speed of the negotiations indicates both Gerrard's desire to remain at the club where he was spent his entire career, and both the manager and the owners' desire to keep hold of their prize asset.

Gerrard, who has two years to run on his current deal, will put pen to paper on the new agreement soon.

MARCH 19
Benitez to turn attention to players

By Paul Walker - PA Sport

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's new five-year contract is likely to spark a rush of new deals for several of the club's top stars.

The Spaniard ended months of bitter wrangling over his future by signing a new contract on Wednesday night that will keep him at Anfield until 2014.

But, while Benitez has been in protracted negotiations with co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, many of his top stars have put their own futures on hold.

Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt admits he was advised to wait until Benitez's own deal had been concluded before opening negotiations over his new deal.

And Danish defender Daniel Agger's new contract seemed to have stalled some weeks ago.

There could also be likely new deals for striker Fernando Torres, skipper Steven Gerrard and goalkeeper Jose Reina.

The stability Benitez's own deal will bring to Anfield should also trigger similar commitments from several players, some of whom had privately intimated they would consider their futures if the Spaniard left.

Benitez now has control over the club's transfer budget - one of the concessions he insisted on in his new deal - and that should allow him to secure the long-term futures of several star names.

And he will almost certainly now make another bid this summer to bring Aston Villa's Gareth Barry to Liverpool, having failed to sign the England midfielder last summer after weeks of acrimony with Villa chief Martin O'Neill.

Benitez will now be able to plan Liverpool's future in the long term, and said after signing the new deal: "My heart is with Liverpool, so I'm delighted to sign this new deal.

"I love the club, the fans and the city and, with a club like this and supporters like this, I could never say no to staying.

FEBRUARY 10
Liverpool still needed replacement
for misfiring Robbie Keane

Comment by Mark Lawrenson - Liverpool Daily Post

I wrote here several times that I thought that Liverpool selling Robbie Keane in January would be the best thing.

But I meant for the player and the club.

And while Keane will no doubt be relieved to be back where he is loved and where the pressure is off, I don’t really see the benefit for Liverpool.

Because if you’re going to get rid of someone, you have to replace him.

This might sound wise after the event but I looked at Jo scoring two goals for Everton in their win over Bolton on Saturday and thought ‘well, why couldn’t Liverpool have taken a chance on him?’

Or at least a similar type of loan signing.

Okay, so he’s not played for ages and had looked a bit out of place at Manchester City – but that’s only the same situation Robbie Fowler was in three years ago.

But that didn’t matter because he was only brought in to boost the forward line for the final few months of the season.

I just think any striker would have done in these circumstances, where numbers are so low that David Ngog is starting on his own up front and even Andriy Voronin fancies it again.

Nothing against Ngog, but he’s untried and unknown. And that’s not ideal when you’re going for the league.

Keane didn’t have to be replaced by another £20million superstar, just a competent striker who can help take the burden off Fernando Torres.

Because the situation now is, we’re praying for Torres not to get injured between now and the end of the season.

He showed how vital he is with the winner at Portsmouth on Saturday. Take him out and you’re looking over at Manchester United. You’re looking for players to be able to provide you with what Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez and Berbatov do for them.

And then you realise how much Liverpool really do need Torres to keep on competing with them for this title.

FEBRUARY 7
Family at war - Liverpool FC
deserves so much better

Comment by Tony Barrett - Liverpool Echo

When Robbie Keane signed for Liverpool last summer one of the first things he told the ECHO was how delighted he was to be joining the club he supported as a boy.

He couldn't have been any more wrong.

The Liverpool Keane followed as a youngster growing up in Dublin was a club where unity was a watchword and where boardroom politics never had a negative effect on what was happening on the pitch.

The Anfield Keane walked into last July was – and still is – a place torn apart by civil war and internal strife where only the bravest souls dare to tread.

The Liverpool family has become so dysfunctional that it should be the adoption agency not the Premier League which rules on whether or not they can add to their number. But Keane was blissfully ignorant of such issues when he completed his "dream move".

A brief conversation at the Malmaison Hotel which was his temporary home after moving north was the first indication the Irishman had that Liverpool FC was not what it once was.

Advised by one associate not to get involved in the internecine politics which has plagued the club for far too long, Keane asked exactly what such comments meant.

Another associate was less cryptic, telling him that Liverpool "is not one club, it is actually two or three in one".

Keane soon came to know what that meant as he became an unwitting pawn in the ongoing power struggle between Rafa Benitez and Rick Parry.

It has been inaccurately suggested in some places that the Liverpool manager never wanted Keane and that he was in fact signed by the club's chief executive.

This is not the case as not only had Benitez confirmed his interest in Keane long before he actually signed, he had also consulted with several figures at Melwood about him.

But – and this is a big but – by the time Keane came to sign on the dotted line to seal a four year contract at Anfield, the Reds boss had already tried unsuccessfully to halt the £20.3m deal.

Gareth Barry was Benitez's number one target and it was the Englishman and not the Irishman whom he wanted capturing first.

Benitez's fear was that if Keane signed before Barry it would diminish his chances of bringing in the Villa star.

Parry's argument was that Villa were not budging on their prohibitive value of Barry and that the proposed Keane deal was so far down the road that there could be no turning back.

To paraphrase a Benitez-ism from his Valencia days, he asked for a table and a lampshade but in that order. When the lampshade was unloaded at the Shankly gates with no sign of the table the Spaniard was far from impressed.

Wholly innocently, Keane had become Benitez's lampshade and he had also unwittingly got himself caught in the crossfire between Anfield and Melwood.

To this day, Benitez believes his chief executive worked harder to sign Keane than he did on the Barry deal in keeping with his own personal football judgement, an accusation Parry emphatically denies.

Only those involved know the truth of the matter but what is not in any question is that the saga shows no-one involved in a favourable light.

Keane may claim he was never given a fair crack of the whip but equally he never looked like setting the world alight during his short spell at Anfield.

Statistics do not always give the complete picture where humans are involved but the fact that the partnership between Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres produces a goal every 74 minutes - while with Torres and Keane it was every 245 minutes and Gerrard and Keane every 231 minutes- tells its own story.

It is hard to recall a game where Keane did not look like a big fish in need of a much smaller pond, one which only the likes of Spurs can provide.

Similarly, Benitez should not take any pride at identifying a target, failing to get anything like the best out of him and then returning him to whence he came without having a replacement lined up.

Parry should also be asking himself whether he could have done more to deliver Benitez's transfer targets in the order he had requested them because in not doing so he helped create a situation which resulted in the manager demanding total control of the buying and selling of players because he feels he cannot trust his chief executive.

And yet more accusing glances will be cast in the direction of Tom Hicks and George Gillett for sanctioning a £20.3m deal for a 28-year-old, a fee which most observers thought was grossly exaggerated, at a time when they would not back their manager's judgement that £18m was a price worth paying for Barry.

Liverpool's co-owners have been guilty of the most alarming dereliction of duty and have quite literally fiddled while Rome burns. They have had it in their gift to impose a chain of command in which each link is connected by trust but have singularly failed to do so.

What's more, the Americans have actually made things worse by playing Benitez and Parry off against one another in their quest to rid the club of one another when they should have been looking for ways to make the relationship between manager and chief executive work better.

The whole situation stinks to high heaven and it is Liverpool's reputation which has taken the biggest battering.

Robbie Keane's dream move was doomed to fail from the very start, now Liverpool must return to the values which made them the team to support when the Irishman was a boy or else the newly installed Spurs skipper won't be the last victim of this ongoing civil war.

In fact, there is already another one waiting in line because unless the impasse over Daniel Agger's contract is resolved – he has been waiting for the club to speak to him about his future since November – the Dane could be next through the exit door as his sense of utter bemusement is growing with every passing day.

The same could be said of Liverpool's fans who deserve better.

So much better.

FEBRUARY 3
Rafa: Reds had to
cash in on Keane

TEAMtalk

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez claims he had no option but to sell Robbie Keane back to Tottenham as it 'wasn't working' for him at Anfield.

The Spaniard has been criticised for not giving the Republic of Ireland striker enough chances to prove himself, and for not lining up a replacement when Keane returned to Spurs on transfer deadline day after a disappointing six months at Anfield.

But Benitez believes that if Liverpool had not "cut their losses" this week it could have be far worse for club and player at the end of the season.

By then, with Keane almost 29, Benitez believes that having moved to Liverpool for up to £20million, his transfer value could have plunged to below £10million.

Liverpool and Benitez contest the transfer fee figures that have been claimed from the London end of the deal, insisting that Spurs could end up paying more than £16million.

And they also claim that Spurs were so keen for the move to go through that they offered Gareth Bale, David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas in the negotiations - but not Aaron Lennon, which would have persuaded Benitez to sell earlier.

Benitez said: "He is a very good player. But we had to decide quickly, clearly with someone his age it was a situation that could not be allowed to drag on. And doing it now, in terms of business, it was better.

"I am hearing figures, and they are not true. Depending on the progress of Spurs it (the loss to us on the original deal) could be about £3m.

"We had to do it now. Later would have been worse for him and worse for us."

He added: "If you know something is not working you must find a solution right now.

"Robbie was a very good professional, he was working hard and we didn't have any problems with him in the dressing room.

"But in the end we had to decide what was the best for the club and the best for him. We had to do it right now, and that was possible because Spurs wanted him.

"They were asking, and pushing because they are in a bad position and they believe Robbie can be a fantastic player for them."

Benitez claims that football mathematics meant Keane had to go. He said: "He is 28, and if he was not playing the situation and the fee in the summer could have been worse."

Benitez argued that Keane did have enough chances to prove himself, saying: "He has played a lot of games, people talk of the amount of substitutions but he started over 20 games for us this season.

"Clearly he was not playing at the level he can. You can keep talking and talking, but it is on the pitch that you have to show your quality.

"In the end we were talking about him before and after every game."

Benitez added: "Liverpool is a different type of club, the expectation on him was high and everyone was talking about a partnership with Torres, maybe he had more pressure and it was more difficult for him to perform at the level he can achieve.

"We needed to cut our losses because it would be harder in the future if this situation had continued.

"I believe he was treated properly. The relationship was good between him and me.

"The last day he was there in the dressing room with me and the kit man after everyone had gone, the relationship was fine."

FEBRUARY 2
Kop flop Keane latest
victim of striker-shy Benitez

Comment by Sam Sheringham - Setanta Sports

Robbie Keane’s farcical six-month stay at Anfield is the ultimate example of Rafael Benitez’s bizarre attitude to forwards, a stance which is likely to make top strikers think twice about coming to Liverpool and could yet ruin the club’s chances of claiming the title for the first time since 1990.

Benitez appears to have a deep-rooted suspicion of front players and takes an almost perverse pleasure in denying them the opportunity to have a run of games, build confidence and get into goal-scoring rhythm.

How else do you explain the fact that after scoring three goals in two games, including a sensational first-time strike against Arsenal, Keane was an unused substitute in The Reds’ 5-1 romp against Newcastle in December? Had he played at St James’ Park, the in-form Irishman would almost certainly have got among the goals for the third game in a row, potentially launching him on a long and successful Anfield career.

Instead he was back to square one, an increasingly marginalised figure, clearly unfancied by his manager, culminating in the embarrassing snubs against Everton and Chelsea which left him with little alternative than to retrace his steps back to White Hart Lane.

Keane is by no means the first striker to arrive at Anfield with a big reputation and a proven goal-scoring pedigree only to fail miserably to replicate past form amid Benitez’s confidence-sapping rotation policy.

And if there’s one position where confidence matter most, it is up front where success is measured in goals alone and the slightest hesitation or lack or conviction can make all the difference.

Milan Baros and Djibril Cisse were clearly never trusted by Benitez and were swiftly moved on, while Robbie Fowler and Andriy Voronin were baffling signings who never got close to the level required to challenge for major honours.

Fernando Morientes and Craig Bellamy both arrived on the back of prolific seasons with their former clubs but neither was given the run of games needed to gel with new team-mates and rediscover the knack of scoring with abandon. Peter Crouch was given plenty of time to find his touch in front of goal, but still only started 55 league games and was never given a chance to forge a partnership with Fernando Torres.

The man they call “El Nino” is of course the notable exception to Benitez’s mistrust of strikers, but even the sensational Spaniard had to earn his manager’s faith. Indeed Benitez’s baffling decision to leave Torres on the bench for successive league games against Portsmouth and Birmingham at the beginning of last season still rankles will Liverpool fans. Both games finished 0-0 and The Reds’ title challenge was effectively over before it had started.

Keane’s departure also leaves Liverpool desperately short of options up front for the title run-in should Torres or Steven Gerrard suffer an injury. David Ngog and Ryan Babel look a long way from fulfilling their potential, while Dirk Kuyt is only playing on the wing because he failed to cut it as a striker at the club.

Let's not forget, the victory over Chelsea means The Reds are still in a fantastic position in the league, and if they do go on to land the title, humble pie chefs will be working overtime to feed Benitez’s army of detractors. But Keane is not the first, and won’t be last striker to see his career derailed by rotating Rafa.

Thor Zakariassen ©