Newly-installed Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has thanked predecessor Gerard Houllier for leaving him with the ideal parting gift, French striker Djibril Cisse.
Benitez has revealed he is a huge fan of the Auxerre hit-man who is due to complete a £14 million switch to Anfield on July 1st.
Benitez claimed he enquired about the France international during his time as Valencia coach but was left frustrated in his bid to arrange a transfer.
"Djibril Cisse is a very good player," Benitez declared.
"When I was at Valencia I spoke to my technical director and chief scout, and they were always talking about Cisse.
"They said to me 'if you'd had him you would have won the league two or three times more'.
"I spoke to Auxerre about Cisse about six months ago, before he was going to Liverpool.
"Obviously at that time I did not know that I would be here. He is a fantastic player."
The news will come as a big boost to the 22-year-old who will have been anxious for confirmation he was in the plans of his new boss, given that it was Houllier who engineered his move from France to The Premiership.