Liverpool FC Forum

Spirit_of_shankly wrote:Spirit Of Shankly welcomes Rafael Benitez agreeing to a new four year contract at Liverpool FC. It would appear that the manager has received the necessary reassurances allowing him to do his job, and the position of manager is finally being properly recognised to ensure stability with on the pitch matters. However off the pitch, much remains unresolved. Fans have not been given any reassurances and have been left guessing as to what is actually going on behind the scenes at our club. Tom Hicks, in his interview with LFC TV talked of his "growing, strengthening relationship" with the manager. This being the same manager that co-owner George Gillett publicly criticised at an impromptu meeting with Spirit Of Shankly a few weeks back. At the meeting, Gillett questioned the managers position, and the role he felt the manager played in Liverpool being overtaken by Manchester United. Quite a contrast to what he is saying now: Gillett added: "With Rafa continuing to manage the team, we can look forward to more great football and success on the pitch. He has special abilities and qualities which are admired here at the club and around the world. Coming after our excellent wins over Real Madrid and Manchester United, this gives us great momentum going into the final stages of the season." Never mind "growing" or "strengthening", the relationship between Gillett and Hicks appears to be non existent, with Gillett appearing to change his mind to win favour from fans. Gillett said when we spoke to him that he can't speak for Hicks, but he is "open" to selling.. Hicks on the other hand tells us he will be staying for the next five years and although he can't speak for Gillett, he thinks he might stay, despite what Gillett has said previously. The fact that they can't speak for each other, not to mention the farcical physical separation at the Chelsea game last month, all suggests the relationship between them is as dysfunctional as ever. Despite jointly owning the football club, there is rarely a joint statement, from both Hicks and Gillett. It is painfully clear, that Hicks and Gillett do not have any kind of relationship, let alone a working one. Allowing this to continue will only further damage the future of the football club. The club learnt through the ill-fated Houllier and Evans idea, that partnerships don't work. This one isn't working either. It's time that the owners gave the supporters some more "great news". Tell us how and when you are going to deliver the additional investment the club desperately needs or tell us when you are going. Both of you. And soon. Then, we just might raise a smile.   No money, No Credibility, No Honesty, No Integrity, No Dignity, No Custodians. Hicks and Gillett Out - Now! 

Spirit Of Shankly

bavlondon wrote:Rafael Benitez given £30m Liverpool war chest

Oliver Kay, Football Correspondent

Rafael Benítez will be given at least £30 million to spend on new players this summer as he embarks on his mission to restore Liverpool to pre-eminence in English football after signing a new five-year contract.

The Spaniard retains a slight hope of overhauling Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League this season as well as making another serious challenge for the Champions League, where Liverpool and the three other English clubs will discover their quarter-final opponents this morning, but he is also building for next season. His scouts are compiling reports on several wingers, including Aaron Lennon, of Tottenham Hotspur, and Antonio Valencia, of Wigan Athletic, as well as looking for a centre forward who can fill the void left by Robbie Keane’s departure.

The Liverpool manager was criticised for selling Keane back to Tottenham in January and not replacing him, but the minimum £10 million fee raised in that deal has boosted this summer’s transfer budget to £30 million. The club’s American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, have also allowed Benítez to reinvest any money raised by selling players such as Andrea Dossena and Philipp Degen, and offloading Jermaine Pennant and Andriy Voronin, who are on loan at Portsmouth and Hertha Berlin respectively. Further funds could be generated from prize money in this season’s Champions League.

Another priority is to secure the long-term futures of several of his squad and, while the priorities are Daniel Agger, Dirk Kuyt, Álvaro Arbeloa and Fábio Aurélio, whose deals expire in 15 months, Benítez has already pledged to give Fernando Torres a pay rise. The Spain striker will be offered an improvement on the £90,000-a-week, six-year contract he signed when he joined from Atlético Madrid in 2007, reflecting his status as one of the best strikers in the world.

Benítez inquired about Lennon, 21, during negotiations in the deal that took Keane to Tottenham and his interest has increased with the youngster’s impressive form in recent weeks, but other candidates, such as Valencia and David Silva, the Valencia midfield player, are under consideration. He is also casting his net wide in search of a centre forward, but David Villa, Silva’s team-mate, is out of Liverpool’s price range and is in any case expected to move to Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Under the terms of his new contract, which is worth £4.75 million a year, Benítez will have far greater control over transfers than last summer, when his bid to sign Gareth Barry from Aston Villa was vetoed by the board. But Hicks was eager to emphasise that the manager will have to work with a chief executive when a replacement for Rick Parry, who is standing down in the summer, is found. “I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can’t have control over the transfer budget,” Hicks said. “He has had his frustrations over the last five years but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be.”

Benítez has secured written assurances that add to his power at the club. He has been promised overall control of football matters, including, significantly, the youth academy, which has been outside his remit. These concessions from the board were instrumental in his rejection of overtures from suitors such as Atlético Madrid, an Italian club and an unofficial approach from a third party claiming to represent a Premier League club, thought to be Chelsea or Manchester City. Contrary to popular belief, he did not receive nor encourage an approach from Real Madrid, who, with Benítez committed to Liverpool, are expected to try to entice Carlo Ancelotti from AC Milan.