Gus Hiddink Agent has been approached by LFC?

[Spy Bee]

Guus Hiddink's agent last night suggested he had been approached by Liverpool.

The claim would cast serious doubts over the future of beleaguered Anfield manager Rafa Benitez.

 

Cees van Nieuwenhuizen confirmed that Turkey were interested in appointing former Chelsea manager, but said they were just one of nine suitors for his client.

 

'I have spoken with representatives of four clubs and five national federations,' Van Nieuwenhuizen told Sovetskiy Sport.

Almost all of the options have previously been mentioned in the press - Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, etc.

 

'However, as I have repeatedly said, we have not held talks with anyone.

 

'To all we have said that there must first be talks with the new president of Russian FA and to know his position on the future.'

 

Hiddink rejected an approach by City before Roberto Mancini was appointed at Eastlands a month ago because the timing was not right.

 

But the 63-year-old recently admitted he was keen to work again in England, provided it was with the blessing of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

 

The Russian FA elect a president on February 3, but former Zenit St Petersburg president Sergey Fursenko is a shoo-in and Hiddink is keen to hold talks with him in the next few days.

 

Fursenko has broken his silence to say Hiddink should remain in his post at least until the end of his contract in mid-July, if not beyond. But Hiddink is still waiting for face-to-face talks with his would-be boss.

 

'Guus is ready to fly to Moscow at any time,' said Van Nieuwenhuizen. 'He is currently in Amsterdam, because in Russia at this time, no one plays football, and at the Russian FA, nothing happens because they are waiting for a new president.

Russian's national team coach Guus Hiddink watches as Andrey Arshavin

 

Having a ball: Hiddink could face Andrey Arshavin in the Premier League

 

'Guus is waiting for an invitation from Mr Fursenko, who for sure will become the new head of the Russian FA.

 

'There is a vital work, such as preparing for the friendly matches on March 3 and in late May. And in between these tasks he can ask the new head of the Russian FA and about whether he intends to continue cooperating with Hiddink.'

 

Turkey are believed to have offered to pay Hiddink a staggering £7million a year after having two offers knocked back since before Christmas.

 

Hiddink's salary with Russia is £6.25m a year after tax, already exceeding the wage of England manager Fabio Capello, whose £6m a year will make him the highest-paid coach at the World Cup this summer.

 

But Van Nieuwenhuizen said: 'Hiddink has already received better financial proposes than he receives now with the Russia team, but we are not discussing them all the same.

 

'The coach has an employer. Hiddink will fulfill his contract with Russia and then everything depends on negotiations with the future president of the FA.'

 

Van Nieuwenhuizen was keen to stress that no option was being discounted and he rejected any suggestion that Hiddink is too old to return to club management.

 

'It all depends on how a club is organised,' said the agent. 'For example, if the model is like Manchester United and Alex Ferguson, then Guus would be interested.

 

'After all, Sir Alex is not so much a coach at his club than a manager or technical director, identifying the club's transfer policy and organising the entire workforce.

 

'Ferguson does not even attend first-team training every day. This is a well-known fact!

 

'But Sir Alex is older than Guus. So I can easily imagine Hiddink leading a serious European club under such a model.

 

'But for now I see no point in speculating about it, because Guus's contract with the Russian FA is until the summer and perhaps it will be extended.'

Rafael Benitez the manager of Liverpool

 

Under pressure: Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez

 

Benitez goes into tonight's match against Tottenham Hotspur under increasing pressure to turn around Liverpool's fortunes.

 

Although Javier Mascherano yesterday said the manager should not be blamed for the club's poor form, Benitez is in danger of losing the support of supporters at Anfield.

 

Liverpool have won just six of their last 22 matches in all competitions and would be seven points adrift of fourth spot if they lost tonight.

 

 

Read more: Guus Hiddink's agent 'has spoken to Liverpool' about replacing Rafa Benitez | Mail Online

[gkmacca]

Agents seem to get less professional every year.

[hamstrung]

We'd be remiss to not be approaching other managers the way things have been going. They did the same when they appointed Rafa, I imagine.

[Spy Bee]

It doesn't actually say fuck all other than that he's spoken to Liverpool though. It's a very misleading headline.

 

Agent "How's the weather up there Mr Purslow"

Purslow "It's not bad but the pavements are a bit slippy!"

Agent "Think I'll give it a miss then. Nobody want to be on You've Been Framed!"

Purslow "Or watch it hahahaha!"

[Carradona]

I'd love Hiddink here, but I can never see it happening as long as Abrahmovic is at Chelsea.

[gkmacca]

We'd be remiss to not be approaching other managers the way things have been going. They did the same when they appointed Rafa, I imagine.

 

Yes, it's only sensible, but I can't believe Hiddink will be impressed by that blabbermouth. Agents ought to know when to shut up.

[Sangria]

I like him and if Rafa is to be replaced he would be high on the list. I still think any top manager would be mad to take the job whilst the club is in the position it is, ownership wise.

[Josef Svejk]

Cees van Nieuwenhuizen, Guus Hiddink's agent:

 

 

[Lucky Pierre]

Wonder if this'll get the same reaction as when Klinsmann was approached.

[zigackly]

Wonder if this'll get the same reaction as when Klinsmann was approached.

 

That wasn't done for football reasons.

[kop]

Typical agent talk. "I have spoken with representatives of four clubs [...] Liverpool have been mentioned in the press" - meaning he most likely hasn't spoken to Liverpool, but saying "representatives" makes it untraceable. Even if he has spoken to a "representative" then that person could eaily be a LFC scout saying "hi, how's Hiddink doing" when he met him at a match or something.

 

"However, as I have repeatedly said, we have not held talks with anyone." - This I believe.

 

Classic case of agent trying to get attention to his customer, who presumably is looking for options when/if his Russian carreer is ending.

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

[Whelan]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

 

No, that's another Guss, this one won the FA cup!

[edinjapan]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

 

I do believe it is UEM. But after 6 months at media darlings Chelsea, half our fanbase think he's the messiah.

[zigackly]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

 

All managers have some failures on their CV. Rafa was sacked by Real Valladolid and Osasuna for instance, but it didn't stop us hiring him. You have to balance it against their successes when you are trying to evaluate them.

[Faustus]

Wonder if this'll get the same reaction as when Klinsmann was approached.

 

The thing though that bothered me about that, mate, more than anything else was the brash and brazen attitude of the Americans in talking about it openly in a light-hearted manner in the press. Not so much actually speaking to him, rather going straight to the papers about it.

 

I mean, you have to be pretty naive to think that this doesn't go on in football. It's just a reality of the game.

 

For instance, we'd have been speaking to Rafa and Mourinho months before the former ended up taking the job in 2004. While Houllier would still have been in the job. It wouldn't have been a case of Houllier leaving and then Rafa suddenly deciding 'oh, I fancy that job.' It would have been the end result of dialogue going back a few months.

 

There's nothing in that article that suggests Hiddink is going to be taking over, but the fact is that those in the upper echeleons of the board will outline and speak to managerial candidates when things aren't going well.

 

Obviously though, there's a right way and a wrong way in going about it.

[Carradona]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

 

Yep, that's him. You forgot to mention that he won 6 league titles in Holland with PSV, 4 domestic cups with PSV and a European Cup with them too. Also won the FA Cup with Chelsea.

 

Managed to make South Korea finish 4th in the 2002 World cup too.

[piscinin]

All managers have some failures on their CV. Rafa was sacked by Real Valladolid and Osasuna for instance, but it didn't stop us hiring him. You have to balance it against their successes when you are trying to evaluate them.

 

Sort of like balancing 5 years of steady improvement against 1/2 a season of funk?

[ZonkoVille77]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

 

aye it is - and is also the same Hiddink who'd have to put up with the same yank cunt owners and the same limited transfer funds as Rafa.

[gkmacca]

Cees van Nieuwenhuizen, Guus Hiddink's agent:

 

 

 

Ha! That's Babel's Dad, that is.

[Vincent Vega]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

 

And whose very talented Holland side were battered by a Terry Venables managed England 4-1 in Euro 96.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Vincent Vega

[Lucky Pierre]

Obviously though, there's a right way and a wrong way in going about it.

I think talking to anyone who might go to the press is the wrong way. Stoke was a step forward in terms of performance. I think it was better than most people do, but there's no denying that it was a better performance than Reading, Reading, Villa, Wolves, Pompey or Arsenal. We can probably span that list back to the Man U game at the end of October.

Now the players hear from the horses mouth that we've been talking to an agent? What's that going to do? Probably only Babel would be the only one positively affected by it!

[Lucky Pierre]

And whose very talented Holland side were battered by a Terry Venables manged England 4-1 in Euro 96.

More than a decade and a half ago...

[Faustus]

Some bad revision of Hiddink's CV here.

 

Anybody could do a similar hatchet job to Rafa's CV.

 

Fact is, they're both very good managers.

[TommyW]

we'd be very lucky to get anyone with his record under the current ownership

 

beggars cant be choosers