Unbelievable
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Rafael BenÃtez is unlikely to be given any of the proceeds from player sales during the January transfer window to reinvest in new signings this month once the arrival of Maxi RodrÃguez is confirmed.
The Atlético Madrid and Argentina winger is expected to cost £1.5 million and join on an 18-month deal. BenÃtez is also looking for a loan recruit in defence after Glen Johnson, the right back, was ruled out for at least a month with a knee injury.
Four fringe members of the Liverpool squad could leave the club in the coming weeks: Andrea Dossena, Philipp Degen and Andriy Voronin have been earmarked for the exit door and Ryan Babel is the subject of serious interest from Birmingham City. The money recouped from their potential sales could total in excess of £15 million.
Napoli have agreed a £4.4 million fee for Dossena, the defender, who is set to complete the move back to his native Italy once personal terms have been agreed; Voronin, the forward, is on the brink of signing for Dynamo Moscow in a deal worth about £2 million; and Degen is the subject of interest from several clubs in Germany, with Stuttgart leading the race for the defender’s services.
Birmingham have offered £9 million for Babel but that bid is likely to be rebuffed because the Holland forward is keen to hold out for a move to the Continent. Galatasaray, who are coached by Frank Rijkaard, Babel’s countryman, are one of a number of clubs ready to enter the race for his services.
Although the Liverpool manager is working without a transfer war chest, club insiders insist that that policy has not been forced on him by Liverpool’s estimated £250 million debts and resultant interest payments, believed to be in the region of £30 million a year.
However, critics of George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the co-owners, may dispute that assessment. And should Liverpool not make any significant investment in their playing squad it will serve only to reinforce BenÃtez’s recent assertion that the club’s priority has shifted from trophy gathering to debt reduction.
In August, BenÃtez broke even on incomings and outgoings in August and in the previous transfer window, last January, the sale of Robbie Keane to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee in the region of £15 million was the only significant activity involving Liverpool.
Should Liverpool go a third transfer window without making any significant investment in their squad it will serve only to reinforce BenÃtez’s recent assertion that the club’s priority has shifted from trophy gathering to debt reduction.
Speaking last month, the Spaniard conceded that Liverpool’s hopes of challenging for the title this season were undermined by the need for the club to reduce their outstanding debts. Well off the pace set by Chelsea, the Premier League leaders, Liverpool’s main aim for the campaign is to qualify for next season’s Champions League, but even that aspiration is far from being a foregone conclusion because they languish in seventh place behind Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Aston Villa, their fellow contenders to finish in the top four.
Any hopes that the purse strings would be loosened in an attempt to fund a drive to guarantee their top-four status have been dashed and BenÃtez will be faced with the prospect of improving the fortunes of a squad that has struggled desperately at times this season without recourse to even a limited spending spree.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article6977050.ece
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Rafael BenÃtez is unlikely to be given any of the proceeds from player sales during the January transfer window to reinvest in new signings this month once the arrival of Maxi RodrÃguez is confirmed.
The Atlético Madrid and Argentina winger is expected to cost £1.5 million and join on an 18-month deal. BenÃtez is also looking for a loan recruit in defence after Glen Johnson, the right back, was ruled out for at least a month with a knee injury.
Four fringe members of the Liverpool squad could leave the club in the coming weeks: Andrea Dossena, Philipp Degen and Andriy Voronin have been earmarked for the exit door and Ryan Babel is the subject of serious interest from Birmingham City. The money recouped from their potential sales could total in excess of £15 million.
Napoli have agreed a £4.4 million fee for Dossena, the defender, who is set to complete the move back to his native Italy once personal terms have been agreed; Voronin, the forward, is on the brink of signing for Dynamo Moscow in a deal worth about £2 million; and Degen is the subject of interest from several clubs in Germany, with Stuttgart leading the race for the defender’s services.
Birmingham have offered £9 million for Babel but that bid is likely to be rebuffed because the Holland forward is keen to hold out for a move to the Continent. Galatasaray, who are coached by Frank Rijkaard, Babel’s countryman, are one of a number of clubs ready to enter the race for his services.
Although the Liverpool manager is working without a transfer war chest, club insiders insist that that policy has not been forced on him by Liverpool’s estimated £250 million debts and resultant interest payments, believed to be in the region of £30 million a year.
However, critics of George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the co-owners, may dispute that assessment. And should Liverpool not make any significant investment in their playing squad it will serve only to reinforce BenÃtez’s recent assertion that the club’s priority has shifted from trophy gathering to debt reduction.
In August, BenÃtez broke even on incomings and outgoings in August and in the previous transfer window, last January, the sale of Robbie Keane to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee in the region of £15 million was the only significant activity involving Liverpool.
Should Liverpool go a third transfer window without making any significant investment in their squad it will serve only to reinforce BenÃtez’s recent assertion that the club’s priority has shifted from trophy gathering to debt reduction.
Speaking last month, the Spaniard conceded that Liverpool’s hopes of challenging for the title this season were undermined by the need for the club to reduce their outstanding debts. Well off the pace set by Chelsea, the Premier League leaders, Liverpool’s main aim for the campaign is to qualify for next season’s Champions League, but even that aspiration is far from being a foregone conclusion because they languish in seventh place behind Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Aston Villa, their fellow contenders to finish in the top four.
Any hopes that the purse strings would be loosened in an attempt to fund a drive to guarantee their top-four status have been dashed and BenÃtez will be faced with the prospect of improving the fortunes of a squad that has struggled desperately at times this season without recourse to even a limited spending spree.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article6977050.ece
