From the Times:
There have been little more than verbal assurances until now that George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks are committed to improving Liverpool as a force on the football field, not just off it, but that is expected to change within the next week as the club’s American owners prepare to bankroll a series of new, lucrative player contracts.
Rafael Benítez has made it clear to Gillett and Hicks that protection of the club’s prized assets is as important as the promise of funds to compete with Chelsea and Manchester United in the transfer market this summer and, as such, the manager is understood to have been buoyed by the progress that has been made on the negotiation front.
José Manuel Reina, the Spain goalkeeper, and Jamie Carragher, the England defender, are expected to be the first to commit their futures to the club, possibly by the end of this week, with Steven Gerrard, the captain, likely to follow.
The biggest concerns are thought to centre on Xabi Alonso, not only because of interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid but as a result of a Fifa ruling that would allow the midfield player to buy out his contract in the summer. However, there is a growing confidence within the Anfield boardroom that the Spaniard will stay.
Gerrard, Carragher and Reina, who is being courted by Valencia as a replacement for Santiago Cañizares, each have two years left on their existing deals, with all three believed to have been offered new contracts on significantly improved terms in the region of four years. Given the protracted nature of previous contract talks involving Gerrard, who has twice come close to joining Chelsea, a swift resolution to those discussions will be particularly welcomed.
“Rafa is getting ready to, or has started, that process,” Hicks said yesterday of the negotiations. “Absolutely, we want those guys [Carragher and Gerrard] to stay. I can’t see Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher playing for any other team than Liverpool and I don’t think the people of Liverpool can ever think of seeing Gerrard in a blue shirt.”
Although the futures of other players will also have to be addressed — such as Steve Finnan, the Ireland defender, who is a free agent at the end of next season — Alonso’s situation appears to top the agenda. Rick Parry, the chief executive, and Gillett’s son, Foster, who are overseeing the negotiations, are understood to be making serious headway.
Under Article 17 of Fifa’s rules, Alonso would be allowed to leave the club in the summer having served three years of the five-year contract that he signed in August 2004 when under the age of 28.
Hicks believes that Benítez’s wife, Montse, will hold the key to keeping the manager at Anfield, although having been told by the Spaniard that he will stay, the Texan billionaire is adamant that Benítez would reject the advances of Real Madrid if the Spanish club come calling again in the summer, as is expected.
“Rafa’s not going anywhere,” Hicks said. “He’s under contract and he told me that his wife has said that if he ever did go, he’d have to go without her because she’s staying in Liverpool. He’s staying in Liverpool, too, because he’s the man that we want.
“When we sat down, we spoke about budgets, his philosophy, specifics, revising how we can improve the development process. It was a five-hour meeting and an introduction into his way of thinking and all the programmes we can improve upon.”
There have been little more than verbal assurances until now that George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks are committed to improving Liverpool as a force on the football field, not just off it, but that is expected to change within the next week as the club’s American owners prepare to bankroll a series of new, lucrative player contracts.
Rafael Benítez has made it clear to Gillett and Hicks that protection of the club’s prized assets is as important as the promise of funds to compete with Chelsea and Manchester United in the transfer market this summer and, as such, the manager is understood to have been buoyed by the progress that has been made on the negotiation front.
José Manuel Reina, the Spain goalkeeper, and Jamie Carragher, the England defender, are expected to be the first to commit their futures to the club, possibly by the end of this week, with Steven Gerrard, the captain, likely to follow.
The biggest concerns are thought to centre on Xabi Alonso, not only because of interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid but as a result of a Fifa ruling that would allow the midfield player to buy out his contract in the summer. However, there is a growing confidence within the Anfield boardroom that the Spaniard will stay.
Gerrard, Carragher and Reina, who is being courted by Valencia as a replacement for Santiago Cañizares, each have two years left on their existing deals, with all three believed to have been offered new contracts on significantly improved terms in the region of four years. Given the protracted nature of previous contract talks involving Gerrard, who has twice come close to joining Chelsea, a swift resolution to those discussions will be particularly welcomed.
“Rafa is getting ready to, or has started, that process,” Hicks said yesterday of the negotiations. “Absolutely, we want those guys [Carragher and Gerrard] to stay. I can’t see Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher playing for any other team than Liverpool and I don’t think the people of Liverpool can ever think of seeing Gerrard in a blue shirt.”
Although the futures of other players will also have to be addressed — such as Steve Finnan, the Ireland defender, who is a free agent at the end of next season — Alonso’s situation appears to top the agenda. Rick Parry, the chief executive, and Gillett’s son, Foster, who are overseeing the negotiations, are understood to be making serious headway.
Under Article 17 of Fifa’s rules, Alonso would be allowed to leave the club in the summer having served three years of the five-year contract that he signed in August 2004 when under the age of 28.
Hicks believes that Benítez’s wife, Montse, will hold the key to keeping the manager at Anfield, although having been told by the Spaniard that he will stay, the Texan billionaire is adamant that Benítez would reject the advances of Real Madrid if the Spanish club come calling again in the summer, as is expected.
“Rafa’s not going anywhere,” Hicks said. “He’s under contract and he told me that his wife has said that if he ever did go, he’d have to go without her because she’s staying in Liverpool. He’s staying in Liverpool, too, because he’s the man that we want.
“When we sat down, we spoke about budgets, his philosophy, specifics, revising how we can improve the development process. It was a five-hour meeting and an introduction into his way of thinking and all the programmes we can improve upon.”
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