by Dundalk » Thu May 24, 2007 10:41 am
Zenden is out the door as well
Rafa Benitez is wasting no time reflecting on Liverpool's UEFA Champions League final defeat, as he has confirmed there will be a number of changes at Anfield this summer.
The Spanish tactician is planning an overhaul of his squad and he has confirmed Dutchman Boudewijn Zenden will be allowed to talk to other clubs, while Mark Gonzalez is on the brink of a move away from Merseyside.
Benitez has already shown the door to Robbie Fowler and Jerzy Dudek and he is intent on bringing in his targets as soon as possible.
"We must not waste this moment," said Benitez. "We must move quickly to sign our number one targets.
"If we wait we will be chasing the players who are second and third on our list. We need to change the structure of the club on and off the pitch.
"We must make progress, and make it now to take us up two or three levels straight away.
"There will be several players leaving," he added, with Gonzalez tipped to join Real Betis. "We will wait for offers.
"We have a deal nearly completed for Gonzalez and I have told Bolo that he can talk to other clubs. We know the situation we have now."
Benitez is convinced he will have the backing of owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
"I have been told by the new owners that they will back my plans," he said. "But when you look at the champions Manchester United spending £20million on a midfield player, and we have been paying just £8 to £9m for our strikers, you know what must be done.
"We must spend big and spend now. Our fans know what we need to do and so do I. We need to pay the price needed for each position."