Rafa to Juve?

[Rocky Sullivan]

Surprised no else has cottoned to this or have I missed it?

 

 

Juventus seeking to prise Rafael Benítez away from Liverpool | Football | guardian.co.uk

[Monster Masch]

The press will write anything to unsettle us before a game. The only reason they are writing about this is because we have started a half decent run and they can't write about how poor our results are.

[Wor Horse]

Juventus have identified Rafael Benítez as the man to replace Ciro Ferrara as manager and hope to capitalise on the Spaniard's frustration with financial constraints at Liverpool with an imminent approach for his services.

 

Ferrara is close to the sack following a run of six defeats in eight games, the latest courtesy of a stoppage-time winner by the former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise for Roma, and officials at the Turin club have drawn up a list of possible replacements for the inexperienced coach. Liverpool's manager is understood to head their list and will be formally invited to join Juventus once Ferrara has departed, although Benítez could delay his appointment until the summer should he choose to accept.

 

Benítez is aware of the Italians' interest and his agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, last night refused to rule out the possibility of a stunning departure from Anfield. "Benítez to Juventus? In football you never know," Quilon said. "I don't know what will happen in four to five months. In football everything changes quickly, but the basic principle is that Rafa still has a four-year contract with Liverpool." Benítez's agent insisted, however, that a move to Juventus is not a fait accompli. Quilon added: "Right now, that hypothesis is not correct, because he is a very important figure [at Anfield]. The idols of the fans are [steven] Gerrard, [Fernando] Torres, and Benítez."

 

With the gamble on Ferrara yet to pay dividends Juventus want a more experienced, proven coach to take control at Stadio delle Alpi. The coveted Guus Hiddink, whose uncertain future as Russia coach has placed several Premier League clubs including Liverpool on alert, priced himself out of a move to Turin by demanding £3m to reprise his Chelsea fire-fighting role from last season and take charge until the end of this campaign, plus a £6m-a-year salary thereafter.

 

Benítez earns around £4m a year basic at Anfield under the terms of the five-year contract he signed last March. Juventus may struggle to match those terms but Benítez could earn more net in Italy on a reduced contract, given the 50% tax rate that comes into effect in Britain in April.

 

While Benítez, a fluent Italian speaker who cites the former Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi as his tactical role-model, has been fiercely loyal to Liverpool he has become increasingly dismayed at the impact of the club's substantial debt on his squad. The 49-year-old is acutely aware that the problems caused by the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett will ultimately affect his reputation, indeed he has attracted fierce criticism for a poor season, and there is a sense a move to a club of Juventus' standing may suit all parties.

 

The Liverpool hierarchy intend to review Benítez's position at the end of this campaign, one that has brought an early exit from the Champions League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and no Premier League title challenge, but cannot afford the maximum £16m he could claim if sacked. Hicks and Gillett would not face such a crippling bill should their manager walk away, although they hope to improve the club's finances with new investment in the coming months.

 

With his job under pressure Benítez may view Juventus as a welcome release, even though the Italians' hierarchy is also beset by problems. Luciano Moggi, the former director general who was disgraced in the Calciopoli scandal, launched an outspoken attack on the club president Jean-Claude Blanc yesterday, saying: "Juventus are paying the price for the inadequacy and incompetence of their directors".

 

Several Italian newspapers are reporting that, should Benítez accept the Juventus offer, Hiddink would replace the Spaniard at Anfield. They include La Stampa, which is owned by the Exor investment company and whose chairman, John Elkann, is also vice-chairman of Juventus and the grandson of the club's late former owner, Gianni Agnelli. Last week Liverpool officials rejected claims by Hiddink's agent that they had made an approach for the Dutchman.

 

Benítez's transfer strategy has stalled in recent days with Ryan Babel remaining at the club despite earlier attempts to offload him, Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones priced out of his reach and no answer, as yet, on the pre-contract offers made to strikers Milan Jovanovic of Standard Liège and Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh. On the eve of tonight's Premier League visit to Wolves, where Gerrard will return from a hamstring injury, Benítez admitted he does not expect to see any of the money Hicks will raise through the £350m sale of his Texas Rangers baseball franchise. He also confirmed the club's balancing act in the transfer market is an attempt to entice new investors to Anfield.

 

"I don't think so, no," Benítez said of Hicks's windfall. "We are now run like a company and they are another company. It is a different thing. The majority of clubs are now run like companies. You have to think about football and business, both things together. This year we have done a fantastic job trying to balance the books and to do the right job for the company. In football, we had to take some risks and we have to improve now on the pitch.

 

"This year we have had to sell if we want to buy and keep things level. That's part of the risk, and sometimes it has gone well and sometimes less well. If people can see the club is healthy, it'll be easier to bring in investors."

[Iantn]

Wasn't it only the other month people was mentioning Ciro Ferrara as one to replace Rafa rather than be replaced by?

[Unrighteous]

Rafa would do well in Italy. It's more his game over there.

[Fugitive]

Now here is the full quote:

 

"This hypothesis is not correct because Rafa has a four-year contract with the Reds. His figure is very important there, the idols of the fans are Gerrard, Torres and Benitez," he told calciomercato.it.

 

"At Juventus next summer? I don't know what can happen between now and four to five months.

 

"In football, everything changes very quickly, but the basic principle is that Rafa has another four-year contract with Liverpool."

 

The papers have conveniently missed out the bit in bold.

[Malarkey]

Now here is the full quote:

 

 

 

The papers have conveniently missed out the bit in bold.

 

Blerts.

[murphy]

Fuckin 'ell. It took them 26 years to turn round and start heading in the right direction

[nickjt]

The article says hiddink has reprised himself from juve financially because of the 3million payment to Chelsea. So if that's too much for juve how would they afford the payment to us for a 5 year contract.

 

Shit, headline writing journalism, with no depth.

However this shit works as it's on 5 lives news!

 

Rafa should fucking just tell his agent to deny this sort of shit.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Another day, another non-story.

 

It really fucks me off that bone-idle dishonest hacks get paid for this shit.

[GJM]

The article says hiddink has reprised himself from juve financially because of the 3million payment to Chelsea. So if that's too much for juve how would they afford the payment to us for a 5 year contract.

 

Shit, headline writing journalism, with no depth.

However this shit works as it's on 5 lives news!

Rafa should fucking just tell his agent to deny this sort of shit.

 

He has said that Benitez has a four year contract at Liverpool and that it's not true to say that he is going to Juventus at this point in time. When asked about the future he says he doesn't know what will happen between the next 4-5 months. Given the chaos at the top of the club and the crappy performances on the pitch, I'd say that's a fair assessment.

[rage]

its not a 'i'm committed to liverpool and not interested in juve' response though is it. if a player's agent had come out with that response we'd be all over him.

 

as has been said rafa would do well in italy.

 

he won't leave though, his pride won't allow him just yet. in any case if he was to leave at some point he'd engineer a fall out (not that this would be difficult to do) and that way his ego would be intact.

[stringvest]

Who cares? It's only tittle tattle.

[The Chef]

It's all quite on transfer front and it is the silly season so........Lets just create a story.....Easy money

[shaunstrudwick]

"This hypothesis is not correct because Rafa has a four-year contract with the Reds. His figure is very important there, the idols of the fans are Gerrard, Torres and Benitez," he told calciomercato.it.

 

of course his agent would say that - LMFAO

[Pedro]

Silly paper talk again

[shaunstrudwick]

Silly paper talk again

 

how is it silly that another club might want to take Rafa at the end of the season - and that he might go?

 

there is no guarantees at the moment that the yanks will still want him here next season is there

 

for me he has reached the end of the road - whether we finish 4th this season or not

[Trucker Paddy]

same shit happen last year before we played Real,only difference is this time the agent is quoted, if he wants to go then go, fuck with this shit of holding the club to ransom again. 4 years without a trophy he would'nt get half that time in Spain or Italy,terrible time to start this media shit again but he has form so im not surprised.

[llego]

If Rafa leaves I will truly start despairing.

[Josef Svejk]

I wouldn't rule it out. Cheaper than sacking him: simply release him from his contract when he has another job to walk into.

[T0RRES]

There are those that will say this is a preferable solution to paying him off and those that will be genuinely concerned as to the quotes.

 

However Fugitive nailed it on the head, a significant element of the quote has been deliberatley missed off, simple paper selling bullshit.

[silverlining]

The press will write anything to unsettle us before a game. The only reason they are writing about this is because we have started a half decent run and they can't write about how poor our results are.

 

You're not very paranoid at all.

[Unrighteous]

I wouldn't be surprised if Benitez encouraged this article. He often likes to remind supporters that he can find work elsewhere... ala the Madrid stories in his past that he encouraged, and kept on bringing up, over and over and over again.

[silverlining]

I wouldn't be surprised if Benitez encouraged this article. He often likes to remind supporters that he can find work elsewhere... ala the Madrid stories in his past that he encouraged, and kept on bringing up, over and over and over again.

 

 

Like anybody, even his greatest detractor, were unaware that he will find another job very, very easily if/ when he leaves Liverpool

[05 Milan]

Yet more politics from the fat spanish waiter. Paul Jewell would never engineer a move to Juve if he was managing us.