Rumours

2004

HEADLINES
2803: Liverpool linked with £10million...
2803: Liverpool rarget Mourinho
2303: Reds and Magpies in for Forsell
1803: Liverpool and Arsenal keen on Lazio...
1303: Reports: Liverpool close to completing...

 

RUMOURS ARCHIVE              
2004
January  February
 

MARCH 28
Liverpool linked with £10million
Wright-Phillips and others


Kop Talk

Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is confident that he will be in charge next season and has drawn up a list of targets which includes Manchester City's Shaun Wright-Phillips, claim newspaper reports this weekend.

If you believe the reports, Houllier sees Wright-Phillips as just the sort of flair player needed to inject some more creativity into the reds following a miserable season. One report claims that the Reds are prepared to splash £10million on the player.

Other players linked with the Reds this weekend include Werder Bremen midfielder Johan Micoud, Sheffield United's Michael Tonge and Bayern Munich's Owen Hargreaves. All of them, apart from Wright-Phillips, have been linked with us before.


MARCH 28
Liverpool target Mourinho

By Graham Hunter - Sunday Herald

Liverpool want Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho as their new manager and have already sounded out the Porto boss about joining in the summer.

The Portuguese champions are resigned to losing the man who won them last season’s Uefa Cup and has taken them to the Champions League quarter final – and Mourinho has kept them informed about Liverpool’s offer.

The 40-year-old is Europe’s hottest talent, speaks flawless English and recently endeared himself to Liverpool fans by knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League – plus enraging Sir Alex Ferguson during a war of words which the Portuguese won hands down.

Porto believe that there has already been a direct meeting between the parties but think that Mourinho has not yet agreed to move to Anfield until he sees whether Porto can win the Champions League.

Mourinho believes himself to be ready to coach at the very highest level and has also been sounded out by Tottenham Hotspur.

At the time he said: “We were in Marseille for the Champions League and someone accredited to Tottenham spoke with me about moving right away to England.

“I told him if it was a proposition for next season then we could talk to see what could happen. But to play against Marseille and then start immediately at Spurs, I wouldn’t even listen to that invitation.”

But the Liverpool offer has attracted him at the moment and Porto expect him to accept and sign for them this summer it if no other firm offers come in.

One Porto director, who confirmed the contact but wished to remain anonymous, said: “Mourinho has done brilliantly for our club since he joined two years ago so we will not prevent him following his heart and moving to England. Our worry is that Mourinho is likely to want to take players like Paolo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho and Benni McCarthy with him which means the break up of what is a great team.”

Mourinho won the Portuguese treble of League, Cup and League Cup last season plus the Uefa Cup final in a 3-2 victory over Celtic in Seville.

This season Porto are unbeaten in Portugal, in the Cup final again, about to retain the Championship and set for the Champions League semi final after beating Lyon 2-0 in the first leg of the Quarter Final.

Mourinho started out as Sir Bobby Robson’s translator at Sporting Lisbon and Benfica and, despite no background in professional football, he was promoted by Robson to assistant coach. They worked together at Barcelona, winning the Spanish Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and the Spanish Supercup finishing second in the league to Real Madrid.

Mourinho stayed on at Barcelona when Robson left, confirmed as number two to Louis Van Gaal, but then moved back to Portugal after winning the Spanish title in 1999.

Brought in to save Porto in 2002 when the fallen giants had crashed down the Portuguese Championship the former language teacher worked the oracle and took them to the pinnacle of European football in under a year and a half.

Liverpool see him as the coming man of European football, someone who renowned as a master team-builder and a coach upon whom a dynasty can be rebuilt. Mourinho has often said that he desires to work for “one of England’s great sides” and is understood to have admitted that re-building Liverpool and returning them to Championship and Champions League winning form would be his dream.


MARCH 23
Reds and Magpies in for Forsell

Sky Sports

Agent Vincenzo Morabito has revealed that Liverpool, Newcastle United and Fulham all want to sign Birmingham City's on-loan striker Mikael Forssell.

Chelsea's forward has been in fantastic form this term for Blues, taking his Premiership tally to 14 goals with a brace in Saturday's defeat at Middlesbrough.

The Finland international's exceptional campaign is bound to have attracted interest from a host of clubs and Morabito admits his phone has been red hot with enquiries about his client.

"A loan season at Birmingham was a great decision but it's time to take the big step," declared Morabito.

"Liverpool and Newcastle are very keen on him if Chelsea are willing to sell Mikael.

"But I don't believe that Chelsea would be willing to sell Mikael to one of their rivals like Liverpool or Newcastle.

"Fulham are also interested.

"Mikael needs to be playing in the Champions League or in the Uefa Cup on a regular basis and he can't do that at Birmingham," he told IS Urheilu.

"He has performed miracles for Borussia Monchengladbach and Birmingham so we have a lot of options."

Forssell is emerging, at 23, as one of the brightest striking prospects in Europe and has proved his worth again this term after shining for Monchengladbach last season while again on loan from Chelsea.

The West Londoners want to retain the services of the Scandinavian striker but Roman Abramovich's spending power will ensure there is always intense competition for places for a role in the Stamford Bridge attack.


MARCH 18
Liverpool and Arsenal keen on Lazio defender

Kop talk

Liverpool and Arsenal are interested in signing versatile Lazio defender Massimo Oddo claim reports this morning.

The Italian outfit are in serious financial trouble and are close to administration. It is because of this that both clubs believe they could land the 27-year-old for less than £4million as several player are likely to be axed in the summer to try and rescue the club.

Oddo - who has had spells with AC Milan and Napoli - can play anywhere across the back of the defence.


MARCH 13
Reports: Liverpool close to completing transfer

Kop Talk

Liverpool are close to completing their second summer signing, claim newspaper reports today.

Nottingham Forest centre-back Michael Dawson will make the switch to Anfield in the summer providing a transfer fee can be agreed between both clubs.

The Insider exclusively revealed our interest in Dawson a couple of season's back and a proposed move to Anfield last summer collapsed due to an illness which saw him ruled out for some time. However Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier has monitored his progress this season and if a deal could be finalised, he would be an excellent addition to the squad.

Dawson has been tipped to captain England and footballing legend Des Walker says he is the greatest defender he has ever played with. Other names in the game say he is a better player than what Rio Ferdinand was at the same age.

This is definitely one link to monitor, even though the reports today appear a little premature. Forest would want around £5million but Liverpool are said to have valued him at around £3million.


Thor Zakariassen ©