Fulham will resist any attempt from Liverpool to appoint Roy Hodgson as a successor to Rafael BenÃtez, who left Anfield by mutual consent on Thursday. The West London club claim that no formal approach has been made to speak to Hodgson, who has turned around the fortunes of the club in his 2½ years in charge.
Liverpool have been encouraged to believe that Hodgson, who is on holiday in Wales, would listen to an offer if they are given permission to speak. At 62, Hodgson would see it as a last chance to manage a big club, having twice coached Inter Milan. His wife hails from the North West and he enjoyed his time as Blackburn Rovers manager 13 years ago.
Hodgson signed a 12-month rolling contract last year and its terms allow Fulham compensation of about £2.5 million. He led Fulham to the Europa League final last season, two years after saving them from relegation.
Fulham believe that Liverpool may turn to Mark Hughes because he is out of work and there would be no compensation, but the appointment of a former Manchester United player would not be welcomed by fans. Also in Hodgson’s favour is that he has a close relationship with Kenny Dalglish, who is leading the search for BenÃtez’s successor alongside Christian Purslow, the Liverpool managing director.
Along with the need to appoint a manager, the other pressing matter facing Liverpool is how to convince their star players to stay at the club. Real Madrid hope to exploit the uncertainty by offering Steven Gerrard an escape route. The Spanish side are increasingly confident that the Liverpool captain will leave his boyhood club for a swansong at the Bernabéu.
Xabi Alonso, who left Liverpool to join Real in a £30 million transfer last summer, emphasised Gerrard’s quality yesterday but stopped short of calling upon him to become the latest galáctico. “Steven is synonymous with Liverpool’s insignia and I have a lot of respect for the fans and for the club,†Alonso said. “But what is not in doubt is his ability. He’s a great player with tremendous quality.â€
With Javier Mascherano keen to move to the Continent and doubts also surrounding the future of Fernando Torres, supporters’ fears about the club under the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr are growing.
“Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does,†Spirit Of Shankly, a supporters’ group, said. “Their recent actions are the latest in a growing and long line of reasons why the owners and other board members aren’t fit for our club.
“Leaving aside any football considerations, this will be the first time in generations that the club have dispensed with a manager without having his successor lined up.
“And they have left us looking for a successor with no transfer budget and in the midst of a sale of the club — hardly conducive to finding a long-term or serious replacement.â€
Roberto MartÃnez, the Wigan manager, believes that the departure of BenÃtez is an occupational hazard that is an inherent risk of life as a manager in the Barclays Premier League.
“I think it’s the nature of the game and at any football club, in any league in the world, when you don’t achieve your aims that you set early in the season,†he said. “That is the sort of business we are living in and as manager you understand that.â€
on holiday in wales. hodgson in a nutshell, that.