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WEDNESDAY 9 |
£17m Barry finally
set for Liverpool
Gareth Barry is poised to complete a £17 million switch to
Liverpool after Aston Villa today signed his replacement -
Chelsea midfielder
Steve Sidwell.
Villa captain Barry has been linked with a move to Anfield
for months, but the clubs have clashed over a fee with Reds
boss Rafael Benitez reportedly £3 million short of O'Neill's
valuation for the player.
But following today's £5 million signing of Sidwell, O'Neill
may finally be prepared to let England star Barry head to
Merseyside.
Benitez also has extra funds at his disposal after agreeing
to sell Peter Crouch to Portsmouth for £11m.
(Daily Star)
Benitez rage over
Babel Olympics call
Rafa Benitez today bemoaned the likely loss of Ryan Babel
for the start of the new season - even though the winger has
now recovered from an ankle injury picked up on
international duty.
Babel was due to return to training at Melwood today having
missed Euro 2008 through a ligament tear suffered during the
build up to
the tournament.
But having carefully managed his recuperation and got him
back to fitness ahead of schedule, Liverpool face the
prospect of losing Babel for the opening games of the new
season as Holland intend to pick the 21-year-old for their
Olympic Games squad.
Benitez said: “Obviously, we are really pleased that Ryan is
coming back to training because he is an important player
for us and he has worked hard to recover from the injury he
suffered with Holland.
“But we are really worried because after getting him fit
again it is likely that we could lose him again if he is
selected for the Olympics. This is a big problem – we
prepare him and then he goes away with the national team."
(Liverpool Echo)
Cavalieri set for Anfield
Liverpool are set to seal a £3m deal for Palmeiras keeper
Diego Cavalieri, their third major deal of the summer.
Sources in Brazil confirm the player completed his medical
on Tuesday and a work permit has been acquired.
Cavalieri's agent Juninho Parmigiani told Brazilian media:
"He has had a medical, talked with some of his new
team-mates and has been impressed by what Rafael Benitez had
to say to him."
(Teletext)
Rafa ready to make move for Villa
Liverpool striker Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Valencia's
David Villa is on his list of targets as he seeks a partner
for Fernando Torres.
Peter Crouch is poised to complete his summer transfer to
Fratton Park in the coming days after agreeing personal
terms with the south coast club on Wednesday.
Spain hotshot Villa has attracted strong interest from
several leading European clubs after he finished top scorer
at Euro 2008 and Benitez has long been admirer.
The 26-year-old has since insisted he is happy at the
Mestalla but Liverpool may test the forward's resolve by
offering him the chance to pair up with Torres.
Benitez said: "We have Torres, Andrei Voronin, Dirk Kuyt,
Ryan Babel and Steven Gerrard, who can play as a second
striker.
"But we will try to bring in another option. Villa is a
player we know all about and he is on our list. But maybe it
will be difficult."
(TEAMtalk)
Crouch on verge of Pompey switch
Portsmouth are expected to tie up the signing of Liverpool's
Peter Crouch in the next two days after the England striker
agreed personal terms.
Crouch came to an agreement with Pompey on Wednesday morning
and will now complete his move to Fratton Park providing his
medical results are acceptable.
Crouch, 27, will be joining Portsmouth for the second time,
having played for the club in the 2001/2 season before
moving to Aston Villa.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez said of losing Crouch: "He is a
good professional and a nice person, and we would have
wanted him to stay. We offered him a new contract.
"But sometimes you have to understand the player. He wanted
to play
a lot more, and with Fernando Torres now first choice, that
was always going to be difficult.
"I can understand Peter's situation. But he did very well
for this club and we always supported him when people
doubted the decision to bring him to Anfield."
(TEAMtalk) |
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TUESDAY 8 |
Hungarian completes loan deal
Hungarian trialist Zsolt Poloskei will spend a season-long
loan at Liverpool, the club has confirmed.
The midfielder was one of three MTK Hungaria teenagers to
arrive at Melwood for pre-season trials.
Having impressed staff, the 17-year-old has already been
handed a loan deal and will battle it out for a place in
Gary Ablett's reserves
during 2008-09.
Poloskei's settling in process will be helped by the
presence of Peter Gulacsi, Krisztian Nemeth and Andras
Simon, who all arrived from MTK a year ago.
(LFC Official Website)
Alonso happy to stay at Anfield
Xabi Alonso insists he would have no problem staying at
Liverpool, as
a proposed move to Juventus stalls due to the two clubs'
inability to settle on a transfer fee.
The Spanish midfielder was expected to tie-up a switch to
Serie A at the conclusion of the European Championship after
Liverpool intimated
a willingness to sell.
Gareth Barry's long-protracted move from Aston Villa was
thought to be reliant on Alonso's exit generating funds but
the likely departure of Peter Crouch to Portsmouth would
swell the transfer coffers significantly.
And should it be that Juve fail to match Liverpool's
valuation, Alonso will be more than content to stay on
Merseyside.
"I am very happy with Liverpool, the city, the people and
they treat me very well," Alonso is quoted in The Sun.
"It's great to be European champion with my club and with my
country but I'd love a league medal.
"It's the one that is missing."
(Sporting Life)
Rafa: Show me you are good enough
Rafa Benitez today challenged the club's youngsters to show
him during pre-season they are ready for a first-team call.
The Reds boss knows the likes of Krisztian Nemeth, Damien
Plessis, Emiliano Insua and Daniel Pacheco have made great
strides over the last 12 months – now he wants them to take
another step forward.
Their task will be made easier over the coming weeks as
Benitez uses
the full extent of his playing staff during pre-season trips
to Switzerland, Spain, Norway and around the UK.
A slight complication arises from the fact Nemeth, Andras
Simon, Mikel San Jose, Dean Bouzanis and Peter Gulacsi will
all be appearing in
the European U19 Championships in the coming weeks.
"Clearly some of the young players will be involved in some
of our games during pre-season and this is an opportunity
for them to show what they can do, although some of them are
so good they will play some games with their national
teams," said Benitez.
"But we have a lot of confidence in them so if they can be
with the first-team players and work with the coaching staff
I am sure it will be good
for them.
"It is important that they develop their experience at this
stage of their careers and afterwards we will see but it is
clear that they have
a chance."
(LFC Official Website) |
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MONDAY 7 |
Parry hails new Euro club group
Liverpool chief Rick Parry said his appointment to the
newly-formed European Club Association's board will be
beneficial for English football.
Parry joins his Chelsea counterpart Peter Kenyon on a 15-man
board which will play a key role in running the European
game over
the next two years.
"It is vitally important that there is an English voice,"
said Parry.
Rangers director John McClelland was also elected to the
group
to represent Scottish football views.
The European Club Association (ECA) replaces the G14 which
was
a group represented by elite football clubs in Europe.
"This body has far greater credibility than G14, both with
fellow clubs and European football governing body Uefa,
because it was always seen as
an elite group. Now we have clubs with widely diverging
interests,"
added Parry.
(BBC Sport Online)
Crouch set for medical
as Portsmouth move nears
Peter Crouch's Liverpool career was today drawing to a close
after he was given permission to undergo a medical with
Portsmouth.
Liverpool have accepted an offer from the South Coast club
which matched their valuation of the player, who has entered
the final year
of his contract.
Portsmouth will pay £8m up front if the deal goes through as
expected, and that figure could rise to £11m over the course
of Crouch’s contract at Portsmouth with lucrative add-ons
having been included in
the proposed deal.
Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United were all
interested in signing the 27-year-old, but none of them
could match the terms being offered to Crouch by Pompey boss
Harry Redknapp.
Having seen his first team chances become increasingly
restricted at Anfield during last season Crouch is keen to
quit Anfield and move somewhere where he is guaranteed
regular football.
Portsmouth have given him that opportunity and once the
formalities of the medical are complete the England man will
become their
record signing.
Reds boss Rafa Benitez is hopeful that the departure of
Crouch will signal the start of serious business being done
in the transfer market as he looks to bring the long running
saga over Gareth Barry’s future
to a swift conclusion.
(Liverpool Echo)
Stoke eyeing Carson swoop
Stoke City are thought to be lining up a sensational swoop
for outgoing Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson...
The England international spent the season on loan at Aston
Villa, who were eager to make the move permanent until
protracted negotiations with the Reds over their captain
Gareth Barry somewhat soured the relationship between both
clubs.
So, despite Carson's eagnerness to head back to Villa Park,
even with Barry's impending and inevitable exit on the
horizon, the 22-year-old will almost certainly be playing
his football elsewhere next season.
(Goal.com)
Thor Zakariassen
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