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FRIDAY 30 |
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Fabio ready for Rafa reunion
Fabio Aurelio has revealed his reasons for leaving Valencia
for Liverpool.
The Brazilian is set to join Liverpool this weekend on a
free transfer when his contract at La Mestalla expires.
Aurelio, who is expected to sign a four-year deal at
Liverpool, admitted the chance to work with Benitez again
was too good to turn down.
"It is a sporting decision why I have decided my future and
I have greater possibilities to grow as a player," Aurelio
told Marca.
"The comfortable thing would have been to have stayed
because my family was adapted and we have many friends, but
I have objectives and one of them is to get in the Brazil
squad.
"I am going to a new club in which the trainer knows me, to
see if I can conquer the objectives I have set myself.
"The most important moments I had in my career were the
titles (with Valencia) and that was with Benitez."
(Sky Sports)
Pennant is new Reds target
Liverpool are preparing to swoop for Jermaine
Pennant, as the Daniel Alves deal looks further away than
ever.
Rafa Benitez has now decided to switch his attention to the
23-year-old Birmingham winger having virtually given up on
negotiations with Seville.
Benitez knows he can sign two players for the amount Seville
are asking for Alves, which is why he now feels it's in
Liverpool's interest to bid for Pennant and Feyenoord's Dirk
Kuyt instead.
The Reds hope a bid in the region of £3.5m will be enough to
secure a deal for Pennant.
(Liverpool Echo)
Gonzalez quits at 21
Chile and Liverpool midfielder Mark Gonzalez has quit
international football at the tender age of 21, after a
dispute with the coach.
The young winger was sent home from the team's European tour
by boss Nelson Acosta in May for a breach of discipline.
Both he and team-mate Reinaldo Navia were axed from the
squad after being found with three girls in their rooms 24
hours after their friendly win over the Republic of Ireland.
Gonzalez was outraged with the treatment and has always
protested his innocence, and has therefore now taken the
matter into his own hands by retiring.
"I am not going to continue. I am not going to wear the
national shirt again and I don't have to give any
explanations to anyone," he told Radio Cooperativa.
"Now the only thing I am thinking of is to keep doing my
work in England.
"All that has been said about me during the national team's
European tour has hurt me
a lot.
"Now it's over and I don't want to talk anymore about what
happened but I am sure of two things.
"I am not going to play for the national team again and I
don't have to apologise to anyone like the coach pretends to
make me do."
(Sky Sports)
Liverpool monitor Tunisian stalwart
Liverpool are pondering a move for Tunisian World Cup star
Hatem Trabelsi.
The 29-year-old could provide the right-sided strengthening
that manager Rafael Benitez is craving as he loses patience
with Sevilla over Daniel Alves.
The Spanish club are holding firm on their valuation of
£10million for the player, and unless some leeway can be
found in the negotiations to get closer to Liverpool's
valuation, Benitez will switch his attention to search for
other options.
(Daily Post)
11 Liverpool games to be shown live by Sky
Sky Sports have announced that they are to televise live
eleven of Liverpool's Premiership games between the start of
the campaign and Christmas.
The games chosen for coverage along with their new kick-off
dates and times etc are as follows (any text in red shows a
change in either the original kick-off time or the original
fixture date):
(Kop Talk)
Sheffield United v Liverpool
Saturday 19 August
K.O. 12.45pm
Liverpool v West Ham
Saturday 26 August
K.O. 12.45pm
Everton v Liverpool
Saturday 9 September
K.O. 12.45pm
Chelsea v Liverpool
Sunday 17 September
K.O. 1pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool
Saturday 23rd September
K.O. 12.45pm
Bolton v Liverpool
Saturday 30 September
K.O. 12.45pm
Manchester United v Liverpool
Sunday 22 October
K.O. 1pm
Arsenal v Liverpool
Sunday 12 November
K.O. 4pm
Middlesbrough v Liverpool
Saturday 18 November
K.O. 5.15pm
Charlton v Liverpool
Saturday 16 December
K.O. 12.45pm
Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool
Tuesday 26 December
K.O. 3pm
Liverpool sell midfielder Cheyrou
Liverpool midfielder Bruno Cheyrou has joined Rennes for an
undisclosed fee.
The 28-year-old ex-France international has spent the last
two seasons on loan to Marseille and Bordeaux, despite being
on Liverpool's books.
And on Friday he finally ended his association with Anfield
permanently after agreeing terms with Rennes.
Cheyrou was a £4.5m signing from Lille by former Reds
manager Gerard Houllier but struggled to make his mark in
the English top flight.
He made a total of 48 appearances, scoring five goals.
(BBC Sport Online) |
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THURSDAY 29 |
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Walcott scout gets Reds role
The scout who discovered Theo Walcott has been
handed a key talent finding role at Liverpool's Academy.
Malcolm Elias has announced he's leaving his job as Head of
Recruitment at Southampton to take on the same position for
the Reds.
Although Liverpool won the FA Youth Cup this season, there
have been murmurings for some time about the overall
standard of young players coming through the ranks in recent
seasons.
The appointment of Elias will build on the necessary changes
Rafa Benitez has enforced at the Melwood end of the youth
recruitment operation.
Benitez and his backroom staff took their own steps a year
ago by signing five of the teenagers who starred in the
Youth Cup Final.
(Liverpool Echo)
Simao deal back on?
Liverpool could bid for Simao Sabrosa after
Benfica agreed to sell the right-winger.
Liverpool bid for Simao last season but the move fell
through at the last moment. Since then Rafael Benitez has
turned his attention to other options, but the Reds could
take another look at Simao especially if Sevilla do not drop
their asking price for Daniel Alves.
"It's a good sign that the president will open the door for
me if a serious offer comes in. I would like to play in a
different league and whether that will be returning to Spain
or going to England, I do not know," said Simao.
(LFC Online)
2 week wait for Dudek
Liverpool 'keeper Jerzy Dudek won't be reunited
with his stolen football memorabilia for at least a
fortnight.
Police have recovered the haul that was stolen from his
house last week but they need all the bits and pieces to
perform forensic tests on them.
Martin Roche (26) and Melanie Mackerth (23) of Brainerd
Street, Old Swan, will appear before Birkenhead Magistrates
on Friday in connection with the theft.
A spokesman for Liverpool FC said: "We are obviously very
pleased that Jerzy's footballing memorabilia have been
recovered, clearly they were irreplaceable and we would like
to thank everyone involved in getting the items back."
(Kop Talk)
Giuly set to extend Barca stay
Ludovic Giuly, linked with a move to Liverpool, is set to
sign a Barcelona contract extension.
The French ace was instrumental in helping Barca become
European champions last month.
But he looked like he could be on his way out of the Nou
Camp this summer with his current contract due to end next
summer.
Giuly claimed he'd had offers from several clubs, and
Liverpool have been strongly linked with the former Monaco
man.
But now Barcelona daily El Mundo Deportivo claims that he's
agreed a one-year contract extension with Barcelona.
(Sporting Life)
Parry: Bellamy will be big hit at Anfield
Rick Parry today spoke of his delight over Liverpool's
capture of Welsh international striker Craig Bellamy.
Bellamy will officially become a Liverpool player on
Saturday when his four year Anfield deal begins and the
Reds' chief executive is confident he has the qualities to
be a major success on Merseyside.
"I have to say that it was a transfer that came a little bit
out of the blue, but when contact was made things happened
very quickly.
"Of course the unfortunate injury to Djibril Cisse while on
World Cup duty with France encouraged the deal. The
departure of Fernando Morientes also focused thoughts on our
attacking options for the new season.
"With Djibril out, we needed someone with genuine pace and
Craig has certainly got that.
"He's a winner. He's quick and he's passionate. He will give
us an important option and add a new dimension to our
forward play.
"Of course, he can also get goals as he's proved at his
other clubs."
(LFC Official Website)
Cisse hoping for September return
Djibril Cisse is determined to recover from his broken leg
as quickly as possible, and believes he can be back in
action as soon as September.
This is all good news, with Marseille still keen to take the
Frenchman on loan next season.
"When I just got injured, I knew my World Cup was over, but
I didn't break down," said Cisse. "It is not in my
character.
"I'll bounce back straight away. When I had my scan, and
they told me the injury that calmed me a little, maybe
because I had the same injury to the other leg.
"I never let my head drop, I never let myself go. In four
months I'll be back, and that's all. I never thought my
career was over.
"The doctors told me I'll be back in October. So I would say
I'll play towards the back end of September.
(LFC Online) |
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WEDNESDAY 28 |
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Parry: Fowler should have gone to Germany
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry says Robbie Fowler
should have been a member of the England World Cup squad.
While the country had to endure the drama about Wayne
Rooney's fitness in the run-up to the finals, Parry asks if
Sven even gave God a thought.
He said: "I wonder whether it even crossed Sven Goran
Eriksson's mind to take Robbie Fowler to Germany as striking
cover when the fitness debate was raging about Wayne Rooney.
"Robbie has played in the World Cup before. With hindsight,
he would have provided experienced cover.
"He finished the domestic season full of enthusiasm and one
or two people subsequently put him in the frame."
(Kop Talk)
Reds seal Aurelio transfer
Fabio Aurelio will officially become a Liverpool player this
weekend.
Aurelio will sign his four-year Anfield contract on July 1,
having already agreed terms with the Reds.
The 27-year-old Brazilian left back, who is signing on a
free Bosman deal from Valencia, will start pre-season
training with the rest of Liverpool's non-World Cup
internationals next week.
Benitez will welcome at least three new faces to Melwood
when the players return, with Aurelio joining fellow South
American Gabriel Paletta and new striker Craig Bellamy.
Unfortunately, Mark Gonzalez will still need to await
clearance from the department for education and employment,
although that decision is anticipated a week today.
Ideally, Benitez wants at least a fifth new face to join the
club by then - followed by another two before the transfer
deadline.
(Liverpool Echo)
Smith backing for new boy Bellamy
Former Liverpool defender Tommy Smith is backing new boy
Craig Bellamy to be a hit at Anfield.
Bellamy signed a four year deal with the Reds last week as
he realised the dream of playing for the club he has
supported since childhood.
Smith knows what it's like to see that particular dream come
true and he has no doubts Bellamy will make the most of the
opportunity.
"Bellamy has shown what he is capable of with average clubs
and with Liverpool he can become a top player," he said.
"He has the pace and can take on defenders - providing Rafa
Benitez with more options up front.
"The Reds won't stand for any fooling from him, but as long
as he behaves himself off the pitch as well as on it, he
could have a fine career at Anfield.
"Like Bellamy, I was a Liverpool fan before I played for
them, and I know how much it means. Good luck to him."
(LFC Official Website)
Liverpool striker desperate for Marseille
move
Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse is desperate to sign for
Marseille.
The French international looked set to be on his way to the
Ligue 1 side until a broken leg scuppered the move, yet a
loan deal is still in the offing for the coming season.
However, much depends on when the former Auxerre man is
declared fit, yet he is hoping to be back in September when
he would like to be a Marseille player.
"I am waiting for the club's decision," Cisse said to Tf1.
"Marseille and Liverpool are still negotiating my transfer.
What do I want? I want to play for Marseille. They are the
club in my heart that I supported as a child."
(Fans FC)
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Thor Zakariassen
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