JULY 30
Rafa eyes two more signings

Steve Hunter - LFC Official Website

Rafael Benitez wants to make two more new signings by the end of next week with a right winger and a centre half his prime targets.

The Liverpool manager says he is happy with the way his squad is shaping up but he wants to make it even stronger with more reinforcements.

Benitez said: "I am very happy with the squad, with the way they are working in training and in matche and I am happy with the new players. But I am still looking for a centre back and a right winger and we need to bring these players in during the next seven days."

The Liverpool manager will not be drawn on names of who his targets are and has yet to rule out a possible swoop for Real Madrid star Luis Figo.

Benitez said: "I always say that a player is not yours until he has actually been signed. We have alternatives to these players and my idea is to always be looking at all your options."

The Liverpool manager says he is happy with the pre-season so far and believes with hard work and good football the Reds could have a good season.

Benitez said: "I am realistic. I always think about winning the next game and nothing else. I know it will be difficult but it you start the season winning games then it helps your confidence and your performance.

"We have a better squad than last season and we have a lot of hungry players who want to win. If the players continue working as hard in training as they have been doing then I can dream of the possibilities.

"We have forwards who bring different qualities and different possibilities to the team and it is good when they score goals. But it is also important that we get goals from the midfield and even from the defenders, and this has been happening.

"We are scoring a lot of goals so I am not too worried about goals we have conceded. When you look at the goals we have conceded some have come at the start of games but most have come at the end of matches which we have been two or three goals ahead and our players have been looking for more goals.

"That comes down to concentration and this will improve as the players fitness improves and they are more ready for matches."

Benitez also wanted to thank the Liverpool fans for their fantastic support to the team as on Tuesday night more than 350 Reds fans were in Kaunas for the Champions League qualifier.

Benitez said: "When I was manager of other teams and we played pre-season games away from Spain we would sometimes have 10 or 20 fans with us. But at Liverpool it is different. There are usually hundreds of fans wherever and whenever we play.

"This is something that is very special and something that the players and myself really appreciate. It is one of the reasons why I always say we have the best supporters in the world."

The Reds boss also says he was flattered by favourable comments from the chairman David Moores about him.

Benitez said: "I am flattered by what the chairman has said but I prefer only to look at my next challenge and not to look too far ahead. But I am really happy at the moment."

JULY 22
Rafa confident of serious title challenge

Shankly Gates

Rafael Benitez: a confidant manager.Rafa has welcomed giant new striker Peter Crouch into the ranks at the club's Swiss training camp - and expects to field the £7m signing in Saturday's friendly with Olympiakos in Liechtenstein and next Tuesday's Champions League second qualifying round first leg away to Lithuanian champions Kaunas.

Crouch has become the clubs sixth signing of the Summer and Rafa believes his new-look Liverpool squad are capable of mounting a serious title challenge.

He said: "We have more quality to work with now and so I am sure we will do better in the league. That's our idea.

"We have more options for different positions in the team and so the competition for places is going to be strong."

Despite having spent more then £20 million so far, Benitez is determined to add even more quality to the squad. The deal for Figo is still on but the real priority is in defence. Rafa has become frustrated with the resistance he's met in his attempts to sign Real Zaragoza's Gabriel Milito and is now believed to be looking elsewhere.

He is believed to have made a move for Sevilla utility defender Daniel Alves, while also being linked with Real Madrid's Walter Samuel and Deportivo La Coruna's Jorge Andrade.

He said: "We knew we needed to improve the quality of the squad and that is what we have done. We needed to strengthen different positions and we're happy with the players we have managed to bring in.

"I have been here for a year now with my staff and we all have more experience of English football. I wanted to sign some players with experience of the Premiership and we've done that in Zenden and Crouch."

JULY 21
The summer signings so far...

Daily Post

Rafael Benitez's acquisition of Peter Crouch means the Spaniard has added six new faces to his squad so far. Here are the other five:

MARK GONZALEZ
CHILEAN international, 23, who was born in South Africa. Made a big impression at Albacete last season and although his side was relegated he attracted the interest of Atletico Madrid along with Liverpool. Possesses pace in abundance as well as being a strong player and good in the air. "The best young player in Chile," according to Benitez.

JOSE 'PEPE' REINA
SON of former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Reina, he failed to hold down a first-team place at Barcelona before joining Villarreal last summer. His commanding displays helped Villarreal qualify for the Champions League for the first time and in June he was called into the Spain squad for the first time. A £6million transfer to the new European champions followed for the 22-year-old.

BOUDEWIJN ZENDEN
VERSATILE Dutch international who joined on a free transfer after his contract at Middlesbrough expired. Left-sided winger or central midfielder, 28, who numbers Chelsea and Barcelona among his previous clubs.

MOHAMED SISSOKO
THE 20-year-old Mali midfielder cost the Reds £5.6million after he was snatched from the under the noses of Merseyside rivals Everton after Benitez heard he was leaving the manager's former club, Valencia. "Momo has great energy," said the Spaniard.. "He is not one for the future, he will be involved now."

ANTONIO BARRAGAN
THE 17-year-old full-back rejected a new deal at Sevilla having impressed in the club's youth team, although he never made a first-team appearance for the Spanish club. Will provide competition for Steve Finnan in defence.

JULY 19
Crouch to seal Reds move

By Adam Marshall - Sky Sports

Peter Crouch is travelling to Liverpool with a view to sealing a move to Anfield.

The Southampton striker, capped by England during the end-of-season tour of the United States, is to undergo a medical with the UEFA Champions League winners after being allowed to complete a dream switch.

Rafa Benitez is closing on getting all the pieces of his jigsaw with Real Madrid winger Luis Figo also a top target for the Spaniard.

Former Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers, Aston Villa and Portsmouth hit-man Crouch will cost in the region of £7 million.

A number of Premiership clubs were trailing the lanky marksman, who enjoyed a fine season last term.

"What's special about him is he's 6ft 8ins," Saints boss Harry Redknapp told Sky Sports News. "That's probably the most special thing.

"He's got terrific touch, he's good in the air, has a good understanding of the game and is a fantastic player. He's a good lad and has not been a minute's problem even when this has been going on.

"He's had Liverpool [after him] and many players would have thrown their dummies out of the pram but he's come in every day, worked hard and been a fantastic example to everybody.

"This is the second time I've sold him - I sold him at Portsmouth for £5 million, so maybe I'll meet him again and sell him again!

"I wish him well and I'm sure he'll be a big success at Liverpool."

JULY 17
Liverpool closing in on Figo and Crouch

By Oliver Kay and Gary Jacob - The Times

Liverpool hope to add the contrasting figures of Luís Figo and Peter Crouch to their squad by the end of the week, but they are encountering further frustrations in their pursuit of Gabriel Milito.

Having had a £7.5 million bid for the Argentina defender rejected by Real Zaragoza, Liverpool have been told that Milito will cost at least £10 million — a sum beyond their budget unless they sell players such as Jerzy Dudek, the goalkeeper, and Milan Baros, the forward. They may revert to less expensive targets, such as Matthew Upson, the Birmingham City defender.


Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, is frustrated by Zaragoza’s intransigence, but at least it appears that his summer-long pursuit of Crouch is nearing a successful end. Sources indicated last night that Liverpool are close to submitting an improved bid, believed to be in the region of £6.5 million, for the forward, who is as unhappy as Liverpool over Southampton’s refusal to sell him.

Crouch is also attracting interest from Manchester City, who have money to spend after selling Shaun Wright-Phillips to Chelsea, and West Ham United, but the 6ft 7in forward set his heart on a move to Anfield in the hope of securing a place in England’s squad for the World Cup finals next summer. He may request a transfer if Liverpool’s latest bid is rejected by Southampton, but the issue is likely to be settled by the end of the week.

Benítez is also hoping for a swift resolution over Figo, with whom the club agreed a £60,000-a-week contract almost two weeks ago, only to be told that Real Madrid would not allow the Portugal winger to move unless Liverpool paid a £2 million transfer fee. Liverpool have persuaded Real to drop the demand, but are waiting while Figo, 32, negotiates a settlement for the final year of his contract .

JULY 17
Carragher's red alert: top three
may still be out of reach

By Steve Tongue - The Independent

Week by week the Rafalution continues at Liverpool, with new players walking through the handsome main reception at the revamped Melwood training centre while others face the uncomfortable truth that Rafa Benitez, like Gilbert and Sullivan's Lord High Executioner, has got them on his list, and they'll none of them be missed.

But uprisings in the Premiership, even those plotted in Russia and West London, demand patience; and as Steven Gerrard, still high on his fine hat-trick against Total Network Solutions, was talking last Wednesday night of a Premiership challenge, his great friend and fellow Scouser Jamie Carragher was at the other end of the room warning bluntly that even the top three places are still out of reach.

Of 37 players named on the back of the programme for the final Champions' League home game last season, the epic semi-final against Chelsea, almost a dozen had been chopped by the time last week's uncommonly early start to the defence of the trophy came round. They included Vladimir Smicer - later to be a heroic scorer in the final - Mauricio Pellegrino, Chris Kirkland and Igor Biscan.

Prepare too to delete names like Jerzy Dudek and Jose Antonio Nunez, both of whom were sitting disconsolately in the stand on Wednesday; and what of Milan Baros, who found Fernando Morientes, Djibril Cissé and even the ineffective Anthony Le Tallec picked ahead of him?

It would be sensible to leave the apparently unwanted Czech jogging up and down the touchline again for the second leg in Wales this week, increasing his value to potential buyers (not falling over themselves at the moment) as he would remain eligible for European football.

Meanwhile, please welcome five newcomers, with the promise of a central defender, midfielder and striker to come if Real Zaragoza, Real Madrid and Southampton can be persuaded to release Gabriel Milito, Luis Figo and Peter Crouch respectively. The alternative in attack is the possible return of an oldcomer, though Benitez, who worked with Michael Owen for six weeks last summer, then sold him, prefers the aerial option offered by Crouch.

Anfield has already been introduced to Jose Reina, the goalkeeper from Villarreal, whose No 25 jersey cannot disguise the fact that he has replaced Dudek as No 1, and Bolo Zenden, who should be a useful acquisition if he can dovetail with John Arne Riise down the left rather than occupying the space that the rampaging Norwegian likes.

Next in, though not quite early enough for a grateful TNS, was Mohamed Lamine Sissoko, another player well known to Benitez, who took him from Guy Roux's production line at Auxerre to Valencia, where he was prominent even as a teenager in the League title and Uefa Cup double two years ago.

Born in France to Mali parents, he looks surprisingly slight, but is renowned as something of a terrier, who insists he will not be put off by the demands of the Premiership: "I'm well aware of the English game, I've watched many matches involving Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. Yes, there are different styles but I'm not frightened of it.

The big difference is that in England players give 200 per cent all the time. I'm a strong player and my playing style is that I run my socks off for the shirt I'm playing in. A lot of people have confidence in me and I'm ambitious to prove them right. When I signed for Liverpool, people were ecstatic back in Mali."

Unlike Patrick Vieira, born in neighbouring Senegal, he has chosen to play for his parents' country ahead of France, a decision that might or might not dampen down talk of "the new Vieira", though such comparisons do not bother him. "I'm not annoyed, I'm flattered," he says.

There is annoyance in abundance across Stanley Park at Everton, where manager David Moyes hoped to woo him with a guaranteed first-team place, only to have the deal hijacked by his greatest rivals and face accusations of dithering as yet another summer target was missed.

Instead Sissoko is prepared to play the patient game and wait for opportunities under a manager he knows, who says of him: "He's a very good worker, who runs for 90 minutes and can regain the ball many, many times. He's young and needs to learn alongside Didi Hamann, Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso. We have the quality in midfield with good passers, and now with Didi and Momo we have two more defensive midfielders and more options."

Admitted interest in another winger and striker notwithstanding, a centre-half remains the greatest priority, illustrated during the 4-3 victory at Wrexham last weekend, when League Two forwards embarrassed the second-string central defenders Josemi and Zak Whitbread in the second half.

Carragher, his place under less threat than the slowing Sami Hyypia's, would welcome back-up, as he made clear last Wednesday: "I'm sure the manager wants to make the squad a lot bigger than last year, looking for two players for every position. Then we can mix and change that so nobody will be playing 60 games. Fifty will do for me!"

Gerrard has already hinted that that would be more than enough for him too in a World Cup year. Where the two local lads disagree, at least publicly, is in their estimation of how close Liverpool can come to bridging last season's huge gap behind the champions Chelsea. "I don't want to sound defeatist," Carragher stressed, "but it's difficult even to break into the top three this season. It's still only the manager's second season and we haven't got the resources of Chelsea or Manchester United. We want to win the League, of course, but it's a big jump to make up 37 points."

Red revolution or not, that appears a realistically sober assessment.

JULY 13
Milito wants Reds move

By Francisco Acedo - Sky Sports

Real Zaragoza defender Gabriel Milito has told skysports.com that he wants to join Liverpool, after The Reds submitted a £7.5 million bid for his services.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez has identified the Argentine international as a prime transfer target as he seeks to add competition to his current first choice central pairing of Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia.

The Liga side are currently mulling over the approach from the UEFA Champions League winners, although sporting director Mauricio Pardeza insisted earlier on Wednesday that the player was fundamental to Zaragoza's plans.

Milito has emerged as one of the most impressive stoppers in Spain after overcoming an abortive medical with Real Madrid two years ago, and has now expressed to skysports.com his desire to become the latest member of Benitez's former La Liga contingent at Anfield.

The 24-year-old has two years left on his current deal at La Romareda, although he has told the Zaragoza outfit that he is keen to move to The Premiership.

"I want to leave because a proposition of this type is unique," Milito told skysports.com.

"I have demanded a settlement with Zaragoza and I believe that the transfer is possible.

"Everybody will benefit from it and I don't understand why Zaragoza are initially negative."

If Liverpool tie up a move for Milito he will join fellow summer arrivals Jose Reina, Boudewijn Zenden, Mark Gonzales and Antonio Barragan as Benitez looks to build on the club's European glory and lead a sustained challenge on the domestic front.

The stopper's agent Eduardo Gamarnik confirmed that his client was keen to be involved in such endeavours and could not turn down such an opportunity.

"Gabriel has the best opportunity of his sporting life if he goes to Liverpool," said Gamarnik.

JULY 13
Figo Reds move still possible

By Ben Blackmore - Sky Sports

Luis Figo's 'dream move' to Liverpool could still happen, according to the Portuguese legend's agent, Louis Douens.

Figo has pleaded with Real Madrid to allow him to move to Anfield, but the Spanish giants are demanding a fee for the 32-year-old.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is becoming increasingly frustrated with negotiations for Figo, with the Spaniard admitting earlier this week: "Figo will be difficult. At this moment it is really difficult."

Figo is now expected to fly out with the rest of the Madrid squad to the USA on Thursday, marking a potential end to Liverpool's interest as they try to wrap up their transfer dealings by the end of the week.

However, Figo's agent Douens refuses to give up on the possibility of a move to England.

"Liverpool have shown the most interest but they won't pay a fee for him and Real won't accept this," revealed Douens.

"However, I wouldn't rule out the option of a last-minute move to England."

JULY 13
Benitez on lookout for new faces

Sporting Life

Liverpool begin the defence of the European crown they won just 49 days ago with Rafael Benitez insisting the club still need to strengthen.

The Reds will receive a heroes' welcome as they parade the Champions League trophy at Anfield before taking on Welsh champions TNS in the first leg of their first qualifying round tie.

Benitez hopes his side can complete a professional demolition of the village minnows from mid-Wales so that he can send a more experimental side to Wrexham for the second leg next Tuesday.

Liverpool will fly home for that match from their training camp in Switzerland and jet straight back to their retreat afterwards.

By then Benitez could well have completed more signings as he builds up his squad for the demands of an 11-month season.

He will put his transfer dealings to one side to confront TNS, but the far greater demands of the future still dominate his thoughts.

He said: "We need more players and more quality. You can then approach every game with good prospects knowing you have a good squad."

New midfielder Mohamed Sissoko should travel with the squad to Switzerland, while chief executive Rick Parry continues talks with Southampton over striker Peter Crouch.

Benitez said: "Sissoko will join us in training camp, he cannot play in the first qualifying round but will be with the first-team players.

"We have [Steven] Gerrard, [Dietmar] Hamann, [Xabi] Alonso, [Boudewijn] Zenden sure, but when they see 'Momo' running they will know that they have to give me a bit more.

"We need a central defender. I have told [Jamie] Carragher and [Sami] Hyypia this because we need more competition. We also need a right-sided midfielder and a striker.

"The statistics show that we needed to improve in defence, we need more clean sheets so we have to improve with new players. We lost a lot of games 1-0, that means we need to be stronger."

Liverpool should surely be strong enough to overcome the spirited TNS, whose side is sprinkled with Scousers who have at one time been on the books of the Anfield club or Everton.

And Benitez is wary of the dangers of facing players determined to grab their moment in the limelight.

He added: "TNS have played more friendlies and have been training longer, so they will be better than us physically. But we have quality and we must use that quality.

"If we try to play like them it will turn the game into a final, and we know we must be careful. I do not think we will have the right amount of pace so it is skill that we must use.

"We know that TNS score many goals in their own league. But I will want to see how motivated my players are and that will show in the first minutes, maybe if you do not start properly then TNS will work harder.

"I have lots of memories of Istanbul, but we cannot think about the past. You have to work for the future and we must prepare properly for every game - like this one - because if we are caught sleeping and dreaming about the past we will be punished."

Benitez will have to juggle players at various stages of fitness as he considers his side, when a full house will be there to welcome back their European champions.

Harry Kewell, Florent Sinama-Pongolle and Neil Mellor are all out of the frame as they recover from operations while Antonio Nunez will not be involved because of his expected return to Spanish football soon.

Benitez must also consider whether he can risk cup-tying players for European competition that he may well still be preparing to sell. Milan Baros and Jerzy Dudek come into that category.

New £6million goalkeeper Jose Reina is expected to make his debut, as is midfielder Boudewijn Zenden, while Fernando Morientes will finally play in the Champions League for Liverpool having been ineligible last season.

JULY 13
Saints want £8m for Crouch

Sporting Life

Southampton manager Harry Redknapp has told Liverpool to hurry up and pay the asking price if they want to sign England striker
Peter Crouch.

Crouch played the first 45 minutes of Saints' 2-1 friendly win at Motherwell on Tuesday night, which came courtesy of goals from teenager Andrew Surman and substitute Brett Ormerod.

Liverpool have had a £6million bid turned down but Saints are understood to want closer to £8million.

Redknapp said: "I see their manager (Rafael Benitez) has instructed his chief executive (Rick Parry) to get Peter Crouch - but if they want him they have got to pay the money.

"They said they wanted to go on tour with him so they need to buy him this week or forget all about him. Then we can all get on with our lives.

"We don't want to sell him but obviously if the money is right then we would have to look at it.

"But the offer they have made is not good enough. They offered £6million for him, West Ham did to, but we decided it wasn't enough.

"I don't want to say how much we want for him but they are not there at the moment, that's for sure.

"I want to keep him anyway. We have got to try to get back out of this league and I have already lost some good players.

"If we sold him I'm sure I wouldn't see all of it but although I would be able to bring in two or three players I would rather have Crouchy."

JULY 12
Sissoko: I couldn't turn Rafa down

By Paul Eaton - LFC Official Website

Mohamed Sissoko has revealed the prospect of teaming up once again with Rafael Benitez helped persuade him to turn down Everton in favour of a move to Liverpool.

The Mali midfielder is expected to finalise his move to Anfield before the end of the week after completing a medical.

The move will come as a blow to Everton who thought they had secured a deal to take the 20 year old to Goodison but Sissoko, who played under Benitez at Valencia, says that once Liverpool entered the race it was an easy decision to make.

"I understand that the Everton fans are angry but I am going to be happier at Liverpool," said Sissoko. "I'm sure they will give me a hard time in the derby match.

"I appreciated the Everton offer, they talked to Valencia and then to me but I was not convinced about everything.

"And when Rafa Benitez appeared, it made my mind up. I could never turn this offer down. If Rafa was not Liverpool boss it might have been different.

"He knows me well and that counts for a lot. I will give 200 percent to carry out his orders on the pitch."

Sissoko believes the Liverpool squad Benitez has at his disposal is good enough to again challenge for major honours this season.

"With the squad we now have we can go for everything and the news that Gerrard is staying is fantastic - he is one of the best in the world in his position," he added.
 

JULY 12
How chat with Xabi convinced Spaniard

By David Prior - Daily Post

Jose Reina has revealed how a chat with Xabi Alonso convinced him Anfield was the best place for him to fulfil his World Cup dream.

The two Spaniards have become close friends on international duty in recent months and the Liverpool playmaker's advice was swiftly sought by his compatriot when he learned of Rafael Benitez's interest.

And Alonso, who enjoyed a superb opening season on Mersey-side after his own move from La Liga last summer, left Liverpool's new goalkeeper in no doubt as to where his future should lie.

"I'm quite close to Xabi," the 22-year-old said yesterday.

"We became good friends in the national side.

"I was asking him loads of things about the place and he was talling me everything about it and it was all really positive.

"It made me really keen to come here - I was dying to come here in fact - and it's all true what he said about the place."

Reina needed little encouragement from his friend, however, having already been acquainted with a great European night at Anfield.

As an 18-year-old, Reina was in the Barcelona goal for the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg in 2001 that was eventually decided by Gary McAllister's penalty.

It's proved to be a rare concession for the renowned penalty-saver - he's saved eight of 13 spot-kicks over the past two seasons - but Reina's memories of the night are nevertheless vivid.

"It was an absolutely fantastic atmosphere on the night and the only comparable atmosphere was at Parkhead," he said..

Reina's Nou Camp adventure was to be curtailed by Luis Van Gaal's arrival, however, and in 2002 he moved to Villareal.

There he came to full prominence, relegating 35-year-old Santiago Canizares to the bench last season in helping Villareal to third in the table.

"Quite simply there was a change of manager at Barcelona," Reina said yesterday.

"Van Gaal arrived at the club and didn't fancy me, basically.

"So I took the decision to go to Villareal and it was a fortunate decision because they've been three absolutely marvellous years, and I'd like to thank Villareal - and indeed Barca - for what they did for me.

"Football is like that - if you're not in the manager's plans you've got to decide to go and earn your corn somewhere else."

Ironically, that may now be the predicament facing his newest rival for the gloves, Jerzy Dudek.

Reina now has a season to convince not only Benitez of his worth, but also Spain coach Luis Aragones.

Having been called up to the national side in Aragones' last squad, Reina has been assured his move to England will not affect his chances of displacing Real Madrid glovesman Iker Casillas in time for next summer's World Cup finals in Germany.

"I think whichever team you play for you get noticed - it doesn't matter whether it's here or in Spain," he said..

"There is a rivalry between Casillas and myself but it's purely on a sporting level, there's no problem between us and the most important thing is we're fighting for the team and for Spain.

"The manager did wish me all the best and told me he would be keeping an eye on me from afar and that it won't make any difference whether he's playing here or in Spain."

Benitez said: "He was in the national team in the last list, and he is a very good boy.

"He likes football, he is a good worker, he is very positive and his attitude is very good.

"He has the quality as a person, as a professional and as a player that in my opinion is what a player needs," he added.

Thor Zakariassen ©