Does anyone actually want him to stay? I get Rodgers being worried that we'll lose too much experience and have to integrate another 9 players in the summer, but still, I wouldn't say he's of such a standard that we should be desperate to keep him just cos he's been here for ages
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Liverpool have reopened contract talks with Glen Johnson in an effort to prevent the England full-back leaving at the end of the season.
Negotiations had appeared to stall, with Liverpool helpless to prevent the defender exiting on a Bosman free transfer this summer. Johnson can talk to other clubs now and has been linked with Roma for the past few months.
But Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, says fresh talks are ongoing, and he is keen to avoid losing another senior player so soon after Steven Gerrard’s decision to move to Major League Soccer.
Johnson will return after injury to the Liverpool squad for tomorrow’s FA Cup tie with Bolton. "I am hopeful he will stay," said Rodgers. "Players like Glen Johnson we want to keep. Lucas, we want to keep. I don’t have anything to do with the deals. There are structures in place at the club. Ian Ayre does an excellent job negotiating with the owners for what they want, what they require.
"Like every player, you want that security. You want to be sorted earlier than now. But at this moment in time, when he looks at, Glen will realise he is at one of the biggest clubs in the world with a team that is developing and growing. He would want to be a part of that. He, I think, is more than happy to work with the club to find a solution for him to stay. He loves being here. He loves how we work and the way that we play.
"His game will maybe adapt over the coming years. He is not the marauding full-back of six, seven years ago. But he is still a quality player with his experience and what he can offer as a footballer. He will be one that we are looking to keep and between the agent and the club, hopefully we can organise something."
Rodgers’ remarks represent something of an about-turn by Liverpool, who until recently had shown little inclination to return to the negotiating table.
Indeed, Johnson himself had said it was "very quiet" on his future and he would not go "crawling to the club" looking for a contract extension.
Rodgers knows he needs a balance in his squad to avoid bringing in another seven or eight players next summer, thus creating another period of transition.
He is in bullish mood after recent performances, suggesting the current Liverpool squad will be competing for the title next season providing they retain their players and add ‘one or two’ of high quality.
"For the younger players, to show that potential, they are going to need that seniority around them," said Rodgers. "You cannot just rely on young players. You are seeing the quality of our players now they have settled. You got a measure of that against Chelsea the other night. We were nowhere near that level a few months ago in the 2-1 defeat at Anfield. We didn’t have the same level of performance or mentality. Now you can see the players understand what it takes to play here and their qualities are starting to come through. That’s why we brought these players in.
"I feel it was similar to my first year, although we are a bit further on, and that we will only get better. Daniel Sturridge is a big, big player and he is still to come back in. Put him in and you’ve got an exciting team ready to win. We have shown in the last 13, 14 games that the restructuring of the team to make us a really creative threat is there. If that continues we have got a good foundation come the summer. Add one or two to that and we’ve got the foundation to challenge for sure."
Rodgers says he is yet to decide if Jordan Henderson will become the permanent Liverpool captain at the end of the season, but his spat with Diego Costa earlier this week has done his chances no harm.
"If he becomes captain next season, he will carry it with great honour," said Rodgers. "Watching Steven closely in his time, he will understand why I have given him it and the leadership qualities that are demanded. He will only grow and get better from it. You saw the other night he is very much a team player."
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Liverpool have reopened contract talks with Glen Johnson in an effort to prevent the England full-back leaving at the end of the season.
Negotiations had appeared to stall, with Liverpool helpless to prevent the defender exiting on a Bosman free transfer this summer. Johnson can talk to other clubs now and has been linked with Roma for the past few months.
But Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, says fresh talks are ongoing, and he is keen to avoid losing another senior player so soon after Steven Gerrard’s decision to move to Major League Soccer.
Johnson will return after injury to the Liverpool squad for tomorrow’s FA Cup tie with Bolton. "I am hopeful he will stay," said Rodgers. "Players like Glen Johnson we want to keep. Lucas, we want to keep. I don’t have anything to do with the deals. There are structures in place at the club. Ian Ayre does an excellent job negotiating with the owners for what they want, what they require.
"Like every player, you want that security. You want to be sorted earlier than now. But at this moment in time, when he looks at, Glen will realise he is at one of the biggest clubs in the world with a team that is developing and growing. He would want to be a part of that. He, I think, is more than happy to work with the club to find a solution for him to stay. He loves being here. He loves how we work and the way that we play.
"His game will maybe adapt over the coming years. He is not the marauding full-back of six, seven years ago. But he is still a quality player with his experience and what he can offer as a footballer. He will be one that we are looking to keep and between the agent and the club, hopefully we can organise something."
Rodgers’ remarks represent something of an about-turn by Liverpool, who until recently had shown little inclination to return to the negotiating table.
Indeed, Johnson himself had said it was "very quiet" on his future and he would not go "crawling to the club" looking for a contract extension.
Rodgers knows he needs a balance in his squad to avoid bringing in another seven or eight players next summer, thus creating another period of transition.
He is in bullish mood after recent performances, suggesting the current Liverpool squad will be competing for the title next season providing they retain their players and add ‘one or two’ of high quality.
"For the younger players, to show that potential, they are going to need that seniority around them," said Rodgers. "You cannot just rely on young players. You are seeing the quality of our players now they have settled. You got a measure of that against Chelsea the other night. We were nowhere near that level a few months ago in the 2-1 defeat at Anfield. We didn’t have the same level of performance or mentality. Now you can see the players understand what it takes to play here and their qualities are starting to come through. That’s why we brought these players in.
"I feel it was similar to my first year, although we are a bit further on, and that we will only get better. Daniel Sturridge is a big, big player and he is still to come back in. Put him in and you’ve got an exciting team ready to win. We have shown in the last 13, 14 games that the restructuring of the team to make us a really creative threat is there. If that continues we have got a good foundation come the summer. Add one or two to that and we’ve got the foundation to challenge for sure."
Rodgers says he is yet to decide if Jordan Henderson will become the permanent Liverpool captain at the end of the season, but his spat with Diego Costa earlier this week has done his chances no harm.
"If he becomes captain next season, he will carry it with great honour," said Rodgers. "Watching Steven closely in his time, he will understand why I have given him it and the leadership qualities that are demanded. He will only grow and get better from it. You saw the other night he is very much a team player."
