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THE stampede of new signings has yet to materialise, but a busy week for Liverpool at least proved one maxim correct – the old ones are always the best.
The decision of those long-established in the Anfield ranks to devote the best years of their careers to breaking the domestic cartel Manchester United and Chelsea presently oversee, represents a significant start to a pivotal summer on Merseyside.
Xabi Alonso is the latest player to sign up, snubbing Barcelona’s courtship in the process, and joining Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Pepe Reina in pledging his allegiance this week to manager Rafa Benitez’s masterplan.
Deals with Momo Sissoko and Steve Finnan are set to follow before the Liverpool squad return to training early next month, and should ensure that Benitez’s first objective has been realised without the protracted dramas that have scarred previous close-season periods.
For the time being that distraction is felt at Stamford Bridge, where the ongoing stand-off between Chelsea and John Terry and Frank Lampard over new deals threatens stability going into the new campaign.
Rafa made it clear that the priority was to retain the spine of the team.
Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry
“Rafa has been making it clear that the priority was to retain the spine of the team and that is what we have done this week,” said chief executive Rick Parry.
“Deals like these are a commitment from both parties. The players see it as a sign that the club has recognised their
contribution and, from the club’s point of view, we always want to get a sign that the players are prepared to re-commit.
“In Stevie’s case the deal will take him over 30 and for Xabi and Pepe, who are a bit younger, it is a big, big commitment at a very important time. For players in a foreign country to commit to a second contract is very, very good news.
“There is a lot of work that goes into this, but it shows that the players feel the club is heading in the right way.”
To simply assume that the Liverpool manager’s acerbic post-Athens blast is responsible for the paperwork being
completed, gives a false impression that the club’s new American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been coerced into submission.
Barring the future of Alonso, whose negotiations were not as straightforward as was made out yesterday given Barcelona’s persistent presence in the background, there was never any doubt this time that Gerrard, Carragher and Reina would sign new deals.
The financial commitment in securing the nucleus of Benitez’s team, in the case of Gerrard and Carragher on four-year contracts and Reina and Alonso five years, is not insignificant either. Liverpool’s wage bill in the last financial year hit £68.9million and accounted for 57 per cent of the club’s turnover of £119m.
Motivation for the likes of Gerrard and Carragher comes not from seeing their bank balance swell, but rather the chance to add to their medal collection.
The onus will now switch to recruiting new talent, and that is likely to prove far more difficult than tying down their
present stars has been.
Gillett and Hicks, whose own relationship has already been marred by disagreements behind the scenes, must come up with the hard cash they allowed the hordes on the Kop to believe would be available when they completed their £400m takeover in February. In reality, there appears to be a more modest kitty up for grabs, with Benitez having to
bolster his transfer funds by rooting out the deadwood from his squad.
That will hardly smooth the way for the key signings required to transform Liverpool, although Lyon winger Florent Malouda’s willingness to listen to any offer is harming his chances of an £8m move to Merseyside.
Benitez’s insistence that prospective new signings must want to come to Anfield for the right reasons, appears at odds with Malouda’s public courtship of AC Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea among others.
“I don’t know how it will be finalised. But in my mind it is certain I will leave,” said the France international.
“At Chelsea, there is Didier Drogba and all the rest. But at Liverpool, Rafael Benitez is a great coach too, and the team has played in two Champions League finals in three years.
“To me, the most important thing will be the desire shown by the club.”
Malouda’s outlook merely proves that for all the hard work that has been done, there remains much more to come if Liverpool are to really make a challenge.
Probably bollocks but I thought I'd post it as there is no news really. If they have had disagreements then I suppose that's the problem with having co-owners / chairmen.
THE stampede of new signings has yet to materialise, but a busy week for Liverpool at least proved one maxim correct – the old ones are always the best.
The decision of those long-established in the Anfield ranks to devote the best years of their careers to breaking the domestic cartel Manchester United and Chelsea presently oversee, represents a significant start to a pivotal summer on Merseyside.
Xabi Alonso is the latest player to sign up, snubbing Barcelona’s courtship in the process, and joining Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Pepe Reina in pledging his allegiance this week to manager Rafa Benitez’s masterplan.
Deals with Momo Sissoko and Steve Finnan are set to follow before the Liverpool squad return to training early next month, and should ensure that Benitez’s first objective has been realised without the protracted dramas that have scarred previous close-season periods.
For the time being that distraction is felt at Stamford Bridge, where the ongoing stand-off between Chelsea and John Terry and Frank Lampard over new deals threatens stability going into the new campaign.
Rafa made it clear that the priority was to retain the spine of the team.
Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry
“Rafa has been making it clear that the priority was to retain the spine of the team and that is what we have done this week,” said chief executive Rick Parry.
“Deals like these are a commitment from both parties. The players see it as a sign that the club has recognised their
contribution and, from the club’s point of view, we always want to get a sign that the players are prepared to re-commit.
“In Stevie’s case the deal will take him over 30 and for Xabi and Pepe, who are a bit younger, it is a big, big commitment at a very important time. For players in a foreign country to commit to a second contract is very, very good news.
“There is a lot of work that goes into this, but it shows that the players feel the club is heading in the right way.”
To simply assume that the Liverpool manager’s acerbic post-Athens blast is responsible for the paperwork being
completed, gives a false impression that the club’s new American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been coerced into submission.
Barring the future of Alonso, whose negotiations were not as straightforward as was made out yesterday given Barcelona’s persistent presence in the background, there was never any doubt this time that Gerrard, Carragher and Reina would sign new deals.
The financial commitment in securing the nucleus of Benitez’s team, in the case of Gerrard and Carragher on four-year contracts and Reina and Alonso five years, is not insignificant either. Liverpool’s wage bill in the last financial year hit £68.9million and accounted for 57 per cent of the club’s turnover of £119m.
Motivation for the likes of Gerrard and Carragher comes not from seeing their bank balance swell, but rather the chance to add to their medal collection.
The onus will now switch to recruiting new talent, and that is likely to prove far more difficult than tying down their
present stars has been.
Gillett and Hicks, whose own relationship has already been marred by disagreements behind the scenes, must come up with the hard cash they allowed the hordes on the Kop to believe would be available when they completed their £400m takeover in February. In reality, there appears to be a more modest kitty up for grabs, with Benitez having to
bolster his transfer funds by rooting out the deadwood from his squad.
That will hardly smooth the way for the key signings required to transform Liverpool, although Lyon winger Florent Malouda’s willingness to listen to any offer is harming his chances of an £8m move to Merseyside.
Benitez’s insistence that prospective new signings must want to come to Anfield for the right reasons, appears at odds with Malouda’s public courtship of AC Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea among others.
“I don’t know how it will be finalised. But in my mind it is certain I will leave,” said the France international.
“At Chelsea, there is Didier Drogba and all the rest. But at Liverpool, Rafael Benitez is a great coach too, and the team has played in two Champions League finals in three years.
“To me, the most important thing will be the desire shown by the club.”
Malouda’s outlook merely proves that for all the hard work that has been done, there remains much more to come if Liverpool are to really make a challenge.
Probably bollocks but I thought I'd post it as there is no news really. If they have had disagreements then I suppose that's the problem with having co-owners / chairmen.
especially after Rafa was complaining about the lack of action being taken in the background to back up the promises. It does seem that needs to be sorted, the decision making is going to take longer than it should I would imagine until they get the board room sorted.
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