|
|
|
|
THURSDAY 18 |
Rafa confident over Masch case
Rafa Benitez remains confident that Liverpool can
convince Fifa to bend their transfer regulations in order to
sign Javier Mascherano from West Ham.
The Reds are understood to have agreed a deal for the
Argentinian international, with the only remaining sticking
point being the fact that he has already played for both The
Hammers and Corinthians this season.
The Reds are believed to be arguing from the perspective
that Mascherano has played just six minutes of football
since October after failing to make an impression under
either Alan Curbishley or his predecessor Alan Pardew.
Benitez insists he is still hopeful that The Reds can
succeed in winning a landmark judgement in a similar vein to
the Bosman ruling which enabled freedom of movement for
players out of contract in 1995.
"We are trying to find a solution with Fifa and believe we
have a good case to appeal for the transfer to go ahead,"
said Benitez.
"People say we can't do this deal, but why are there so many
other examples?
"I know of one player who played for four clubs in a year.
"There needs to be a solution and I still have confidence
the player can join us. There are rules in football, but
they are not laws that can't be challenged.
(Sky Sports)
Reds draw Reading
Liverpool will play Reading in the fifth round of the FA
Youth Cup.
Liverpool will play Reading at Anfield on Friday 26th
January at 7pm after the Royals beat Coventry in the fourth
round of the cup yesterday.
The fifth round tie must be settled on the night so there
will be extra time and penalties if scores are level after
90 minutes. Pay on the gate entry will be £4 adults,
£2 concessions.
(LFC Online)
Hammill gets loan move
Adam Hammill has joined Dunfirmline on loan for
the rest of the season.
The Academy graduate and FA Youth Cup winner has joined the
SPL side on loan until the end of the season and could go
straight into the first team for this weekend's game with
Rangers.
"Adam is very highly-rated by Liverpool. They see him as
having a big future at their club," said Pars manager
Stephen Kenny.
"He is coming here for experience but the move can certainly
benefit us.
"I have watched a few Liverpool reserve games and I see him
as a very,
very exciting player."
(LFC Online)
Ayala heading for Liverpool?
Roberto Ayala's agent has revealed that he is close to
agreeing a deal that will see him leave Valencia on a free
transfer for an unnamed club.
The Argentine's contract expires this summer and Valencia
have apparently made little effort to tie him down to a new
one.
Villarreal have been interested in signing the fullback, but
reports are now suggesting that Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez
will attempt to lure Ayala to Anfield after failing to land
Blackburn defender Lucas Neill.
(ITV Football)
Warnock in £1.5m move
Blackburn remain keen to sign Steve Warnock despite the
pending collapse of Lucas Neill’s move to Anfield.
Warnock was expected to head to Ewood Park as part of a
swop, but now fears being left in limbo by Neill’s seemingly
imminent decision to reject a switch to Liverpool.
(Liverpool Echo)
Potter completes Wolves switch
Darren Potter has completed a permanent transfer to
Championship outfit Wolves.
The Republic of Ireland youngster has enjoyed a successful
loan spell at Molineux and netted his first goal for the
club in the FA Cup third round clash at Oldham in midweek.
Potter made 17 appearances for the Reds but spent the second
half of last season at Southampton.
He agreed a switch to Wolves at the start of the new
campaign and has impressed enough during his loan spell to
earn a contract with Mick McCarthy's side.
(LFC Official Website)
Neill agrees Hammers deal
Lucas Neill has spurned interest from Liverpool and agreed a
two-and-a-half year deal with Premiership strugglers West
Ham.
Liverpool was widely thought to have been the wantaway
Blackburn defender's destination, but on Wednesday night he
agreed terms on a lucrative contract with The Hammers.
Alan Curbishley is desperate to strengthen his team for
their fight against relegation and has offered attractive
terms to Neill, though The Hammers are reported still to be
negotiating with Rovers.
"Lucas has agreed terms on a two-and-a-half year deal with
West Ham and is looking forward to the challenge ahead,"
Neill's agent Peter Harrison is quoted in The Times.
Neill's decision to choose The Hammers over Liverpool will
exasperate Reds boss Rafa Benitez who hinted for the first
time on Wednesday that a deal for Neill had hit
a stumbling block.
(Sky Sports)
Kuyt keen for long Kop stay
Dirk Kuyt may have only been a Liverpool player for five
months - but already he has designs on remaining a red for
the rest of his playing career.
Kuyt has settled comfortably into Premiership life since his
summer switch from Feyenoord and already has eight goals to
his name after an impressive first half to his debut season.
The 26 year old Dutchman knows football can be an
unpredictable business, but so happy is he with his new club
and the fans who have given him such a warm welcome to
Anfield, he's already planning for a long career on
Merseyside.
"You never know what is going to happen in football but it
would be perfect if I could stay here for a long, long
time," he told Liverpoolfc.tv.
"I'm really happy here and I'm not the kind of player who
wants to move to a new club every two years. I'm at the best
club in England and one of the biggest in the world so why
would I want anything else?"
(LFC Official Website)
Finnan 'frustrated' by Reds
Steve Finnan believes Liverpool have only themselves to
blame after again falling short in the Premiership title
race.
Although The Reds' Premiership form has picked up in recent
months, they are paying the price for a poor start to the
league - Rafa Benitez's team trail leaders Manchester United
by 14 points.
Liverpool can close the gap on second-placed Chelsea with
victory over the champions this weekend, but Finnan concedes
the damage has already been done regarding their title bid.
His team have failed to lift a top-flight title in almost 17
years, and Finnan pinpointed defeats at Blackburn and
Middlesbrough as reasons for their latest disappointment.
"The lads know we could be even closer to Chelsea and United
- but that's all about ifs and buts now," said Finnan.
"It is difficult not to look at some of our results, such as
Blackburn and Middlesbrough away, and wonder just how close
we could have been.
"It can be frustrating. We've closed well on Chelsea but
know we could be much closer, if not level with them."
(Sky Sports) |
|
WEDNESDAY 17 |
Cech passes final check
Chelsea keeper Petr Cech has successfully passed his final
medical check-up and
could now make his comeback against Liverpool.
The Czech ace was recently given the green light to resume
full training, although he needed one last visit to his
neurosurgeon before being available for Premiership
selection.
Cech concluded his final appointment on Wednesday and has
been given the thumbs-up medically to play competitive
football.
The former Rennes shot-stopper has spent the last four
months on the sidelines after suffering a fractured skull in
Chelsea's 1-0 win at Reading.
Cech's agent David Travnicek says only The FA can stop his
client from appearing against The Reds, if it refuses to
allow him to play with special protective headgear.
"The FA should decide on Thursday or Friday at the latest
whether Petr will be allowed
to use the helmet," Travnicek said told CTK.
(Sky Sports)
Reds eye Hungarian starlet
Liverpool have given a trial to Hungarian starlet Andras
Simon, according to reports
in Hungary.
The 17-year-old, who plays for Budapest-based side MTK
Hungaria, is regarded as one of the country's brightest
talents.
Simon is believed to be heading to the Merseysiders to spend
a few days training with
the Premiership giants.
(Sky Sports)
Rafa ready to pull plug on Neill deal
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is set to drop out of the hunt
for Blackburn full-back
Lucas Neill as the Australian ponders a move to West Ham.
Neill, whose contract expires at Ewood Park in the summer,
is believed to be considering an offer from the Hammers
worth a much larger wage packet than Liverpool are prepared
to offer.
Neill's representatives are reportedly demanding £30,000 a
week for the player, but Benitez insists he will look
elsewhere if a decision is not made soon by the Australian
international.
He said: "We are continuing to work on things, but we will
not wait. If a player wants
to come to Liverpool he must say so quickly.
"If he thinks about it for too long maybe it is a signal it
is time for us to look at other players. We have
alternatives."
(TEAMtalk)
Riise glad to see Momo back
John Arne Riise says Mohamed Sissoko's return will be a big
boost for the Reds.
Sissoko has been out since dislocating his shoulder against
Birmingham on November 8th. However, the Mali international
is set to return against Everton on February 3rd which will
be a big boost for his team mates.
"Before he got injured he was maybe our best player. He is
so hard to play against because he never stops running and
never stops being at your heels," said Riise.
"The only thing missing is him getting a goal! We all hope
he gets one soon. The amount of work he does for the team is
very important for us. If he's back then it will boost
the team a lot."
(LFC Online)
Shevchenko: I'm fit, play me
Premiership stats centreAndriy Shevchenko has piled the
pressure on Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho by declaring himself
fit to face Liverpool at the weekend.
Rumours are rife that owner Roman Abramovich and Mourinho
have fallen out to
the extent that they are no longer on speaking terms.
The Ukrainian's availability for the crunch clash at Anfield
will make Mourinho's team selection interesting as his £30
million striker has been sidelined with a hamstring problem
recently after failing to shine at Stamford Bridge.
"In light of recent events, I have certain misunderstandings
on some issues with Mourinho," Shevchenko was quoted as
saying in the Independent.
"I think that only the club's top management is capable of
resolving those issues."
The confirmation of the 'misunderstandings' appears to
support the talk of a behind-the-scenes rift in West London.
(Eurosport) |
|
TUESDAY 16 |
Reds must wait on takeover
The takeover of Liverpool remains on course but is not
expected to be completed until the end of the month or even
early February.
The inspection of the club's accounts by the potential new
owners Dubai International Capital (DIC) is continuing but
Liverpool's directors have put off any idea of holding a
board meeting until closer to the actual handover.
A source close to the club told PA Sport: "Due diligence is
continuing and going very well but no formal offer can be
made until that is completed.
"Everything is on track and everyone is working towards
completing the process by
the end of the month."
(BreakingNews.ie)
Money or medals key to Neill deal
Liverpool target Lucas Neill must decide whether medals or
money is the motivation behind his next career move.
The in-demand Australian defender is expected to leave
Blackburn Rovers this week with a clutch of clubs chasing
his signature.
Liverpool remain the favourites for the 28-year-old, and are
ready to broker a deal that would see Stephen Warnock move
in the opposite direction.
(Daily Post)
FIFA ponder Reds' Masch proposal
FIFA chiefs are considering Liverpool's application to sign
out-of-favour West Ham midfielder Javier Mascherano.
Under FIFA rules, the Argentine player should not be allowed
to play for three clubs in a season - which runs from July 1
to June 30.
He has already played for Brazilian side Corinthians as well
as the Hammers in that period, but Liverpool are hoping that
FIFA make an exception.
Mascherano has had a miserable time at West Ham and played
only seven times for the club. Rafael Benitez is desperate
to sign Mascherano on loan and then complete
a permanent deal in the summer.
(TEAMtalk)
Kuyt defends Rafa
Dirk Kuyt has leapt to the defence of Rafael Benitez.
Benitez came in for criticism after Liverpool's recent FA
and Carling Cup defeats to Arsenal but striker Dirk Kuyt was
quick to defend his manager.
"If you lose 6-3 at Liverpool, you know there is going to be
more pressure on the club. As a player, you think there is
only one thing to do, and that's win the next game.
"Rafa is a top coach who is particularly strong tactically.
His critics talk a lot about the changing of the team, but
in England it's like nowhere else when you have to play 65
games a year.
"You saw against Watford how good he is with the tactics to
use three up front for
the first time."
(LFC Online)
|
|
Thor Zakariassen
© |
|
