Liverpool FC News, Discussion & Debate | Liverpool Banter

Pepe Reina expects Alonso and Mascherano to stay at Liverpool FC

2009-07-06T08:04:56Z

PEPE REINA is confident Liverpool will keep hold of both Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano despite summer speculation linking both with moves to Spain.

Current players from both Real Madrid, who are courting Alonso, and Mascherano pursuers Barcelona have been stoking the fires for the past few weeks as regards to their proposed transfers to La Liga.

]]> Barca midfielder Sergi Busquets was the latest over the weekend, throwing his two pence into the hat and confirming his approval of any bid for Liverpool's Argentina skipper.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has rejected speculation linking the pair with moves out of Anfield and Reina believes his manager has no plans to sell any key members of a squad determined to win the club's first Premier League title.

Reina said: "I believe that Benitez has his mind very clear and his idea in these moments is to not sell. He wants to continue with a team he has known for a long time, with an already funda-mental base and where we know almost everything.

"Whoever wants to touch this team or this structure will have to pay a lot of money."

Meanwhile, Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby have agreed new long-term deals.

The pair are entering the final year of their existing Anfield contracts and Liverpool manager Benitez is keen to reward them with three-year extensions.

Midfielder Spearing, who captained the FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2007, made his debut for the first team last season and impressed as a substitute in the UEFA Champions League win over Real Madrid.

Full-back Darby is highly-rated at Anfield and he made three appearances in the first team last term. The duo are expected to put pen-to-paper on the contracts when Liverpool return for pre-season training later this week.

Shock Horror! Owen goes to Man United!

2009-07-03T20:06:32Z

The news that one Michael James Owen, once of this parish, will now be pulling on the red shirt of Manchester United is not likely to go down too well in the Red half (or is that two-thirds?) of this city.

It seems that the press are once again greeting a Sir Alex Ferguson signing as another stroke of genius, a shrewd move, a cunning plan.

In truth, the news that Mr.Owen had signed for United was greeted in our house with the same gasps of astonishment as the fact that bears do in fact answer nature's call in the woods and that snuff has rocketed up another penny a ton.

]]> It's been said often enough that while he was at Liverpool, Owen never really got the same affection and support as he possibly should have done. Only recently we were discussing this and a mate suggested that the likes of Robbie Fowler would get rapturous applause for merely putting his socks on, whilst Owen could score a hat-trick and it not move the crowd in the same way.

When he returned to Anfield with Newcastle he was greeted, if that is the right word, with both applause from some sections of the crowd but also boos and derision from a fairly high percentage of the rest. My own response was as neutral as it is now.

I neither cheered his return nor derided it and that stems from the fact that even when he was at Liverpool, I like many other fans thought that his priorities in life were, 1.Michael Owen, 2. England and 3. Michael Owen and England.

The order could vary somewhat depending on whether an international week was coming around.

That is a shame because Owen scored a lot of goals for us and I still maintain one of my best memories watching Liverpool was in 2001. His goals against Arsenal at Cardiff in the FA Cup final to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat were historic, we went on to complete the Treble that year and I can still see the second goal in my mind's eye, I was right in line with Owen's shot and saw it beat Seaman's hand.

As the ball entered the net, I and thousands of other Liverpool fans in the Millennium stadium that day leapt into the air. We only came down again after the final whistle in Dortmund on the following Wednesday.

Great days, great memories and we all thank Michael for that.

Likewise, in Cardiff again in the League Cup final against his new love, Manchester United. Him breaking away and receiving the pass from Didi Hamann then burying the ball in the United net, the victory sealed. Joy was unrefined.

I am sure that there are elements of this move to United that involve Michael somehow getting his own back for the stick he got when he returned to Anfield. Also, I am sure that in the dark recesses of Sir Alex's mind there are scenario's that involve Michael Owen firing the goals that deliver Championship number nineteen to United as a sort of final coup de grace for our own proud record.

If that's the case, then bring it on. When Owen left the club in the lurch to go to Real Madrid, our season ended in triumph in Istanbul.

Let's see what May 2010 brings shall we?

All in all a move not greeted with huge astonishment to be honest.

We wait to see who will laugh last.

Wonder if he'll kiss the badge?

Silly me.

He's a footballer. Of course he will.

Kenny Dalglish rejoins Liverpool FC

2009-07-03T16:12:54Z

LIVERPOOL FC legend Kenny Dalglish has rejoined the club today, it has been confirmed.

As was first reported in the Liverpool Echo in April, Dalglish will assume a senior role at the Liverpool Academy and will also act as a club ambassador, working with the commercial side of the business around the world.

]]> Managing Director Christian Purslow commented: "In our very first meeting Rafa and I agreed that we wanted to try and bring Kenny back to the club to help Rafa really drive forward our Academy which is at the heart of our plans for the future.

"We are delighted he has agreed to join us and I am sure he will be very successful in his new role back at the club."

Dalglish, 58, first joined the Anfield club in 1977, for a then record transfer fee of £440,000. He went on to play 515 times for the Reds, scoring 172 goals. He also managed Liverpool from 1985 to 1991, winning the league three times and FA Cup twice, including the double in 1986.

Should Liverpool FC fans be surprised by Michael Owen's move to Man Utd?

2009-07-03T14:52:59Z

ONE-TIME Reds legend Michael Owen stands on the brink of a move to Manchester United - a turn of events that will no doubt have a fair few Liverpool supporters filled with suprise, sadness and even a little righteous indignation.

But should we really be surprised given the Chester-born striker's track record?

]]> Any ideas that Owen really did have 'Liverpool in his blood' as he once claimed were well and truly shot out of the water after the unsatisfactory way he ended eight-year association with LFC back in the summer of 2004.

To recap, having let his current contract at Anfield run down to its dying embers and assured the concerned Liverpool fanbase that he would re-sign - the delay being down to his agent being "on sabbatical" so he said - Owen chose to sign for Real Madrid one day before Rafa Benitez's first season in charge began.

What's more, by letting the situation drag on for as long as he did, any chances of the club being able to recruit a suitable replacement were scuppered by the situation reaching a head so close to the end of that summer's transfer window.

Whether Owen himself can be blamed for Liverpool getting shafted by Real Madrid in a transfer deal that saw the club palmed off with a derisory £8m and the willing but limited Antonio Nunez - not to mention the Spaniards' refusal to immediately sanction the transfer of Fernando Morientes to Anfield, instead playing him in one European game before his eventual move a few months later which meant he was cup-tied and never able to get a decent run of games in the side - is open to debate.

What is certain is that Owen's refusal to even give Benitez's regime a chance, as Steven Gerrard did, made the new manager's job infinitely harder and any sympathy that could be felt towards Owen for the way his own game had been stunted by the anaemic style of football played in the death-throes of Gerard Houllier's reign is dissipated for me by the way he handled his departure.

There won't be many Liverpool supporters who take any satisfaction at how things have turned out.

I saw Owen score a belter against Tranmere Rovers reserves a few months before he scored on his first-team debut against Wimbledon in 1997, watched agog and proud as he lit up the world stage in France a year later and was lucky enough to be in Cardiff for the 2001 FA Cup final for what was, at the time, my best moment yet as a Liverpool fan.

Yet, while there was always widespread respect and admiration for Owen and his abilities during his time in the Red shirt, he was never really as loved by the supporters as much as Robbie Fowler or latterly Fernando Torres. In short, it never really felt like he was one of us.

There was always a suspicion, possibly at times an unfair one, that Owen's primary focus was his England career - a school of thought backed up by his decision, following his ill-fated year in Madrid, to move to Newcastle United a year before the 2006 World Cup, when a little more patience may have seen him secure the move back to Anfield he supposedly had his heart set on.

What is inescapable however, at this moment in time, is that there has only been one loser since the parting of ways five years ago and it hasn't been Liverpool FC.

Owen has missed out on glorious triumphs in Istanbul and Cardiff along with the chance to build on the foundations laid in his early years with team-mates Gerrard and Carragher, saw himself bombed out of Real Madrid as soon as they'd sold enough shirts to make his transfer profitable, picked up enough serious injuries to make him lose his beloved England place to the likes of Darren Bent and travelled the country with the Newcastle United travelling circus, his ignominious spell there ending in the club's relegation.

How the once mighty have fallen.

Forced to hawking himself round interested clubs with his now infamous brouchure, Owen must be pleasantly surprised to see the current English champions coming in for him when until recently the only clubs reported to be expressing an interest were Hull and Stoke.

He will no doubt receive an extra-special brand of the hideous abuse that continually mars the biggest rivalry in English football but in many ways the indifference his presence has met with so far when appearing at Anfield in another team's shirt remains the most cutting response - don't hold your breath on that continuing however.

Owen's Old Trafford move has been compared in some quarters to the equivalent of Liverpool selling Gerrard and Torres and buying Teddy Sheringham.

While United's prospective new striker clearly is not quite as far down the road of his career as the Londoner, his acquisition does represent a scaling down of Ferguson's striking ambitions following reported moves for Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema.

Only a fool would write off Owen's chances of scoring goals in a Manchester United shirt - what is for certain though is that, if Liverpool are able to take that final step and become the first English team to reach nineteen titles, their former striker's presence in the Old Trafford ranks will make that success taste even sweeter.

Latest LFC news from the Liverpool Daily Post

2009-07-03T08:07:06Z

Emiliano Insua has a big future at Liverpool FC - Javier Mascherano

LIVERPOOL midfielder Javier Mascherano believes fellow Argentinean Emiliano Insua will prove to be a big hit at Anfield next season.

Mother collapses as Jack Straw rejects Michael Shields pardon

JUSTICE Secretary Jack Straw last night said he understood the "strong emotions" felt by the family of Michael Shields, after refusing him a pardon due to the "rule of law".

One Night In Istanbul: Nicky Allt's perfect play for Liverpool

IN TWO decades will everyone really remember where we were when we learned Michael Jackson had danced his last moonwalk? Can the baby boomers recall what they were up to at the moment the puff of smoke went up behind the grassy knoll in Dallas?

Check out the Liverpool Daily Post's LFC section here for all the best LFC news and views

Real Madrid's bid for Xabi Alonso on hold - Liverpool FC latest

2009-07-02T09:33:04Z

REAL MADRID are delaying a bid for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso until a sell-on clause with his former club Real Sociedad expires later this month.

When the 27-year-old midfielder made the switch to Anfield in a £10.5million deal five years ago, Sociedad negotiated a 20% cut of any future transfer fee.

However, that agreement is believed to run out on July 18 and Madrid insist that could help them agree a deal with the Reds.

]]> If Liverpool reluctantly agree to sell and are able to pocket all the cash, Madrid hope they will be able to get Alonso for close to £25million rather than the Reds' £35million valuation.

Madrid have continued their controversial public courting of the Spaniard with Kaka urging his new club to sign Alonso.

The former World and European player of the year, who has moved from AC Milan for £56million, was officially unveiled at the Bernabeu last night.

Kaka said: "I've played against Xabi Alonso in two European Cup finals.

"He's an excellent player and also Spanish. He would be very welcome."

Meanwhile, Barcelona are ready to test Liverpool's resolve with a £25million bid for Javier Mascherano.

But, that is certain to be rejected with Rafa Benitez saying "not even £50million" would convince the Reds to sell the Argentinean.

Mascherano has praised compatriot Emiliano Insua and believes there is more to come from the 20-year-old left-back who made 13 appearances last season.

"Obviously he is a young player so can still improve and get better," Mascherano said.

"It isn't easy to be playing for the Liverpool first team at just 20. I'm really happy for him.

"Emiliano didn't play first-team football in Argentina, so to come here at such a young age and make the breakthrough is a great achievement.

"It would have been easier for him had he played first-team football in Argentina. Everything was new to Insua when he came here. But after just two years he is playing really well."

Andriy Voronin's return apart - it's so far so good for Liverpool FC

2009-07-02T07:01:21Z

RAFA BENITEZ must feel like he's found a peseta but lost a pound.

No sooner was he celebrating the arrival of Glen Johnson, while admitting he may have paid just a tad over the odds for him because he was English, than he received the devastating news that Andriy Voronin, the 'Bovine Ponytail', plans to return to Anfield from his loan spell at Hair Fair Berlin and "conquer the Premiership".

Assuming that nothing was lost in translation, and that he didn't mean to say he wanted to win the Conker Premiership, at a stroke he knocked about £3m off Rafa's transfer budget.

]]>
If that was not enough, the news that Fabio Aurelio has been elected life president of the Darren Anderton Society in recognition of his sterling achievement in screwing up his knee playing football with his son will have driven poor Rafa to distraction once the awful consequences dawned upon him.

Yes, Andrea Dossena might now be denied his dream move to Juventus, which most Kopites have been dreaming about also, and bang goes another £6m-odd of transfer funds.

So, despite Rafa's insistence that he can buy one more player without having to raise money from sales, the temptation to cash in on Alonso or Mascherano must have increased given the thinking that threatened the former's tenure last close season.

I've written here before about the importance of retaining the services of these two, and don't intend to repeat myself... oh to hell with it: Rafa, these two must not be sold at any price.

On the brighter side, it's rumoured that Jermaine Pennant is considering crossing Stanley Park to play for Everton. Jermaine, I'll pay your bus fare mate.

Why anyone would consider employing this unproductive, overrated wastrel is beyond me, but it seems there's always someone desperate enough to take a chance on him.

Personally I'd be delighted to see him in a blue shirt, draining their coffers while peppering crosses into St Luke's Church.

So who's on the way in? Fernando Torres helpfully weighed into the debate this week, recommending David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata to Rafa as the type of players we need.

Cheers, Fernando, those three might have slipped our mind if you hadn't jogged our memory.

Have you got a spare £70m on you?

Reality seems to have returned to Fernando's world shortly afterwards, when he conceded that Villa might just be outside of our financial means.

That still leaves the other two though.

Compared to our rivals though, we're doing all right.

Manchester United have replaced the self-proclaimed 'best player in the world' with a pretty average right-winger.

Arsene Wenger still refuses to sign anyone but diminutive central midfield players.

Chelsea continue to be linked with a marquee signing, but look like having to settle for a bell tent in Yuri Zhirkov.

Only Manchester City are making hay, but are they making a team?

Early days I know, but it'll take more than the return of Voronin to dampen my optimism.

For now.

Latest LFC news from the Liverpool ECHO

2009-07-02T06:12:14Z

Juventus out of the running for Liverpool FC's Xabi Alonso

JUVENTUS have ruled themselves out of the running to sign Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Fernando Torres: Liverpool FC boss Rafa Benitez has made me a better player

Fernando Torres has saluted manager Rafael Benitez for turning him into the most feared striker in the world.

Check out the Liverpool Daily Post's LFC section here for all the best LFC news and views

Liverpool FC Rumour mill: Liverpool to swoop for £3m South American Striker Radamel Falcao?

2009-07-01T12:15:04Z

Press reports suggest that Rafa Benitez may be targeting a late swoop for the highly rated Colombian striking sensation Radamel Falcao Garcia Zarate or plain old 'Falcao' as he's usually known. The Liverpool manager will have to move swiftly with Benfica strong favourites to sign him for a knockdown £3m fee.

The talented 23-year-old currently plies his trade for River Plate in Argentina but is on his way out of the cash-strapped club who reportedly still owe the player 400,000 euros which has held up his transfer to Portugal.

Falcao recently signed a three-year contract extension with River to ensure the club receive a bigger fee from Benfica. The Lisbon giants were to purchase 80% of Falcao's economic rights but the move has stalled.

]]>
Falcao has been linked to the Premier League in the past but a possible move to Martin O'Neill's Villa in the January transfer window failed to materialise as well as summer moves to Arsenal or Manchester United.

Click here to read more

Juve rule out Alonso move

Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has ruled out a move for Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso.

"We have names for the midfield, but Alonso is not one of them," said the chief.

"I have heard this through the papers. Alonso is a great player, but it's just paper talk.

Liverpool are believed to be monitoring the progress of Argentine starlet Matias De Federico.

The diminutive 19-year-old forward has netted five league goals in 29 appearances for Huracan since making his professional debut in 2007.

But it has been in this year's Clausura championship that the starlet has established himself as a regular alongside fellow prodigy Javier Pastore as Los Quemeros have emerged as surprise table-toppers with one game remaining.

And De Federico - who is thought to be considered the 'New Messi' - recently impressed national team boss and national icon Diego Maradona on his international debut, netting a spectacular goal in a 3-1 friendly win against Panama.

His form has inevitably led to speculation surrounding his future in South America, with Anfield boss Rafael Benitez believed to be a keen admirer of the teenage talent.

And De Federico has revealed his admiration for the Premier League, adding that his style of play should be highly effective on English shores.

"I like to watch the English Premier League, it is very fast and I think that it would suit my speed well," he said, as reported by Sport.co.uk.

Latest LFC news from the Liverpool ECHO

2009-07-01T10:56:52Z

Fernando Torres: I'm in debt to Rafa Benitez

FERNANDO TORRES today saluted manager Rafa Benitez for turning him into the most feared striker in the world.

Liverpool FC midfield duo Sebastian Leto and Paul Anderson are sold off

LIVERPOOL have boosted their coffers with the sale of Sebastian Leto to Panathinaikos and Paul Anderson to Nottingham Forest.

* Check out the Liverpool Echo's LFC section here for all the best LFC news and views

Latest LFC news from the Liverpool Daily Post

2009-06-30T06:36:24Z

Fernando Torres: Liverpool FC can compete despite lack of spending power

LIVERPOOL striker Fernando Torres accepts the club's lack of financial muscle means they are unlikely to be able to compete for star signings - but he believes that will not affect their chances of winning trophies.

Liverpool FC midfielder Javier Mascherano remains Barcelona target

BARCELONA are refusing to admit defeat in their battle to sign Javier Mascherano.

Martin Skrtel backing Glen Johnson to be a success at Liverpool FC

Martin Skrtel has backed new signing Glen Johnson to succeed at Anfield.

Check out the Liverpool Daily Post's LFC section here for all the best LFC news and views

Glen Johnson must go on attack to prove his worth at Liverpool FC

2009-06-30T06:33:38Z

GIVEN how much I banged on about Liverpool lacking match-winners last season, I wouldn't have thought spending £17million on a right-back would have been the solution to their problems.

But when that right-back is Glen Johnson I happen to think it could be a very sound investment.

Because Johnson is a match-winner. The last time I saw him play was at the end of the campaign when England played Andorra and he set up four of the goals.

]]> Now I appreciate the opposition was worse than second rate but it was a performance that summed up what the player is all about.

He gets forward and causes defenders problems - gives them something extra to worry about in their own third of the field - and has the accuracy in his delivery to create goal-scoring opportunities.

And that will be absolutely vital to Liverpool in their attempts to break teams down next season.

This is, of course, only going to come true if Johnson actually plays to the best of his ability but I can't see any reason why he won't.

His confidence should be sky high after a season in which he has made himself England's first-choice right-back.

Ahead of the World Cup next summer, it is his shirt to lose now, and that's a great incentive to take into next season - he should be flying by the time he finally takes to the field in the red of Liverpool.

Another issue surrounding the player would of course be his price tag - but I just don't think defenders have the same pressure to live up to a high price as a forward does.

With centre-forwards it's all about how many goals they get and how they fit in to a system. That's why there was so much scrutiny on Robbie Keane last year and the pressure of trying to fit in around Fernando Torres and also making sure he got his own game right.

Neither happened and the whole transfer saga was quickly consigned to the history books.

But there isn't the same burden on full-backs to fit in to a side. The role is clearly defined and it has also become one of the most valuable positions on the pitch now.

I remember when I became Liverpool's record signing from Brighton in 1981 and the pressure was taken off me by Bob Paisley saying that it was my versatility which made me worth the money in his opinion.

And it's the versatility of the modern full-back that makes one well worth the investment.

They are the people who probably see more of the ball than anyone else on the field and Johnson loves being on the ball.

And the likes of Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt will love that because Johnson's danger will pre-occupy defenders enough to give them more freedom to create.

Yes, there are bound to be questions and raised eyebrows about spending so much money on a right-back.

But if that particular right-back ends up playing his part in a first title-winning campaign for 20 years, then nobody will mention the price again.

Latest LFC news from the Liverpool ECHO

2009-06-27T09:16:12Z

Why Glen Johnson can pay Liverpool FC's transfer cash right back

LIVERPOOL legend Phil Neal believes Glen Johnson can bring the best out of Fernando Torres after the right-back sealed his record-breaking move to Anfield.

Andrea Dossena and Andriy Voronin want to stay at Liverpool FC

Rafa Benitez's summer transfer plans could be frustrated by players keen to kickstart their stalled Anfield careers.

Liverpool FC's Martin Skrtel gets back to work in the gym

MARTIN SKRTEL is seemingly raring to go and can't wait for the new Premier League campaign, according to his official website.

VIEW the story of the Reds 2008/09 season in pictures here

Check out the Liverpool ECHO's LFC section here for all the best LFC news and views

Liverpool FC's Istanbul miracle set to hit the stage

2009-06-27T09:02:42Z

I MAY not remember many birthdays, anniversaries or even what I did last Thursday for that matter, but one date I will never forget is May 25.

Like most Reds that's hands down the best day of the year, the anniversary of the greatest day of my life.

For the past four years I've celebrated in the same fashion; half a dozen bottles of Efes beer and the DVD of our night in Istanbul.

]]> Even now recalling those couple of days makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I forced myself to wait an entire year before watching the game again after 2005 and now it's an annual treat that I look forward to in the closing weeks of the season.

"So what if the title has gone and we're not going to be in Rome again, I've got a date with a kebab and my Champions of Europe DVD," that kind of thing.

However, I am hoping to break from tradition next month (if I can get a ticket) and join thousands of other Reds with a pilgrimage to the Empire Theatre.

Big Red Nicky Allt's new play is a celebration of all things Istanbul and hits the stage for a practically sold-out nine-day run from July 9.

"It's hard graft at the minute mate," Nicky said when I called him for a taster yesterday.

"It feels great though. I can't wait to see what Reds fans think."

Based around the greatest final in football history, the tale is centred around two lads and dads and the rest of the travelling Kop hoping to bring Old Big Ears home for good.

Throw in a big bag of money, a sexy chambermaid and Hitler's cufflinks (?) and, as we've come to expect from the writer - who along with Dave Kirkby brought us Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels, it's got all the hallmarks of another Scouse comedy classic.

I've also heard unconfirmed whispers the play even features never before seen footage of Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Rafa Benitez which makes it unmissable for all Reds .

The full details of the script are more closely guarded than Nando's hairdryer but one thing is for sure, finding a ticket come next week is going to be tougher than landing a season ticket on the Kop.

* One Night In Istanbul runs from July 9 to July 18 at the Empire Theatre.

Catch it if you can!

Latest LFC news from the Liverpool Echo

2009-06-26T10:54:14Z

Andriy Voronin's pledge to Liverpool FC fans

LIVERPOOL'S on-loan striker, Andriy Voronin, has vowed to come back to Anfield and "conquer" the Premier League next season.

The Ukrainian international enjoyed a brief impact at Liverpool after arriving on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, but spent the whole of last season on-loan at Hertha Berlin.

After five goals in 19 Liverpool appearances, he struck 11 times in 20 appearances back in the Bundesliga and is determined to be a hit in England.

* For all the latest Liverpool Fc news, visit the Echo's special section