Skully

Thanks for posting that link, great listen

Couldn't give a stuff if he was useless yesterday, same with Downing for England as long as they carry on how they have started in the red shirt. I'd be more worried with Walcott looking better for England than your lot...not hard mind at present

By Tony B Liverpool hope that they will shed a number of high earners from their wage bill today, with Joe Cole likely to lead the exodus from Anfield. Cole held talks with Lille yesterday with a view to joining the French champions on a season-long loan but the midfield player is yet to decide whether to agree to the move as he waits to see if Queens Park Rangers or Tottenham Hotspur offer an alternative. Lille hold the attraction of Champions League football but it is understood that Cole would ideally prefer to resurrect his career in the Barclays Premier League. But having become surplus to requirements at Liverpool after a single disappointing season, the 29-year-old is aware that Lille could become his best option should neither QPR’s nor Tottenham’s longstanding interest harden. Liverpool want to streamline a wage bill burdened by several players who provide little value for their salaries, with Cole, who earns about £110,000 a week, perhaps the most glaring example. Christian Poulsen was last night given permission to hold talks with Evian, although the newly promoted French club will struggle to match his £60,000-a-week salary. David Ngog will depart if Bolton Wanderers can match Liverpool’s asking price of £4 million. Kenny Dalglish, the manager, remains keen to sign Craig Bellamy on a free transfer but that will become possible only if Manchester City offer the Wales forward a payoff. The transfer of Sebastián Coates to Liverpool is expected to conclude without any hitches, the Uruguay centre back just awaiting the approval of his work permit application before completing his £7 million move from Nacional.

Suarez Lucas Henderson

Tony Barrett 1 minute ago Kenny Dalglish leads chase for Wales striker who has been handed a free transfer as Roberto Mancini looks to ease wage bill Craig Bellamy’s hopes of rejoining Liverpool have been boosted after Manchester City granted him a free transfer in an attempt to remove a high earner from their wage bill. The Wales forward will now seek a financial settlement from City before severing his ties. Bellamy believes he is entitled to a compensation payment after being deemed surplus to requirements despite having a year left on his £90,000-per-week contract. The 32-year-old is being pursued by a number of Barclays Premier League clubs, and Liverpool are leading the chase for their former player despite strong interest from Tottenham Hotspur. Kenny Dalglish has long been an admirer of Bellamy and is keen to add to his attacking options. He thinks that Bellamy could dovetail equally well with Andy Carroll or Luis Suárez and could also be used as an impact substitute. Gary Speed, the Wales manager, has given Bellamy’s proposed move to Anfield his blessing and is hoping that his captain’s future will be resolved by the end of this month. “It is only natural Craig is going to be linked with top clubs because he is a top player,” Speed said. “Liverpool are a fantastic club and if it comes off, that would be great. Hopefully by the end of the transfer window things will be sorted out.” After a summer of high activity in the transfer market, Bellamy is likely to be Liverpool’s final target with a £7 million deal for Sebastian Coates, the Uruguay central defender, set to be completed imminently. Coates travelled to Merseyside from Montevideo yesterday and will have a medical today. The acquisition of the highly rated 20-year-old would be a significant coup for Liverpool, particularly as Manchester City were also keen to sign him after his eye-catching performances in the recent Copa América. Dalglish will look to streamline his squad further in an attempt to make space for the impending arrival of Coates and the potential signing of Bellamy. Alberto Aquilani has completed his move to AC Milan on a one-year loan, with the Italian club having an obligation to sign the midfield player on a permanent basis for a pre-agreed fee of £7 million in the event of him playing 25 games. “This is a step forward in my career,” Aquilani said. “The clause of making at least 25 appearances is not a problem for me. I’m not thinking about it. I will do everything possible to earn the trust of the club.” http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/premierleague/article3145690.ece

1. Enrique 2. Lucas 3. Kelly

Should be on the box that tie - fuck that journey!

Just echoing what Dave U said that wages were holding up deal. Should be a decent watch tomorrow Tony Barrett 1 minute ago Tom Werner, the co-owner and chairman of Liverpool, has become the latest member of the club’s hierarchy to call on Uefa to make football more competitive by stringently upholding the soon-to-be implemented Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. John W. Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner, and Ian Ayre, the chief executive, have gone on record about the need for European football’s governing body to ensure that the rules have teeth, and Werner has added his voice to their demands. In a wide-ranging and upbeat interview to be screened on the club’s official TV channel tonight, Werner discusses the progress that Liverpool have made since the takeover by Fenway Sports Group (FSG) last autumn and the positive impact that Kenny Dalglish has had since his appointment as manager in January. His admission that the prospect of FFP being implemented was one of the factors that attracted FSG to invest in English football yet again underlines its desire to ensure that Liverpool live within their financial means. Although Dalglish’s summer spending will rise to almost £50 million once the formalities of José Enrique’s £5.5 million transfer from Newcastle United are completed, FSG sees this large-scale investment as a one-off necessity to give Liverpool the opportunity of competing with Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. But it is hoping that FFP will allow them to pursue a more prudent strategy in the coming years. “It will make the sport more competitive,” Werner said. “Part of our assumption when we came in last year was that financial fair play was coming into existence and that we’d hope it would have some teeth.” Enrique lowered his initial pay demands significantly before agreeing terms on a four-year contract and will complete the move today, subject to the outcome of a medical. Werner believes the left back will be working for a manager in Dalglish who has the kind of natural leadership skills that players inevitably respond to, and joining a club who have a bright future after a turbulent period in their history. “I think the most important thing, and it may seem obvious, is put a quality product for your fans,” Werner said. “It’s been our goal to try to improve our position on the pitch, and to try and create an environment for players to say they want to play in Liverpool. “I can’t think of somebody who embodies the relentlessness and the drive and the attitude of excellence better than Kenny. Obviously we knew of him before we met him. “I think he is a natural leader. I’ve had the privilege to watch him as he trains the men at Melwood. And I just think he’s so charismatic and he’s been able to instil a sense of purpose into the club, and when he says something I think people listen.”

Christ John Snow is some piece of work.

Popped this in transfer thread but prob has morerelevance here Tony Barrett 1 minute ago This time last year, Liverpool headed into the season with a manager whom the supporters did not want and owners whom they cared for even less, yet there were still those at the club who talked of the return of a feel-good factor after the acquisition of Joe Cole on a free transfer. Yesterday, with all the indications being that Cole’s brief but financially lucrative Anfield stay is set to come to an end with his house up for sale and Queens Park Rangers hovering, Kenny Dalglish used the same phrase to describe the atmosphere at the club. This time, no one doubted the existence of a feel-good factor, with the parading of a quartet of new signings underlining positivity, even if the ability of Liverpool’s squad to avert a “major disappointment”, in the words of John W. Henry by finishing in the top four of the Barclays Premier League is still open to question. By describing the importance of returning to the Champions League in such stark terms, Henry, the club’s principal owner, flirted with provoking unnecessary pressure. A year ago, had Tom Hicks or George Gillett Jr, the club’s previous owners, uttered similar sentiments it would have caused widespread revulsion. Now, instead of sparking a civil war, the only significant response to Henry’s musings came from a jovial Dalglish. “John’s a good lad,” the Liverpool manager said, his reaction indicative of the new-found harmony between the boardroom and boot room. Dalglish may be a diplomat who prizes club unity above all else, but he does not suffer fools and his assertion that Henry and his acolytes at Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are arguably the best owners in football was as telling as it was headline grabbing. By providing the financial backing that allowed Dalglish to parade four expensively assembled signings while remaining in the background and allowing the manager to get on with his job, FSG has lived up to the Shanklyism about directors being there only “to sign the cheques”. Henry has done that to the tune of £43 million this summer, an outlay on top of the £57 million that was shelled out in January to acquire Andy Carroll and Luis Suárez. For their latest round of investment, Dalglish has recruited Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Doni. FSG is expecting a return but there is also realism. For the first time in many years, no one at Liverpool is talking in terms of winning the Premier League. The top four is their target, a signal of a widespread acceptance that even spending £100 million on players in six months does not guarantee a title tilt, even if it does raise expectations. “Spending money does not guarantee you success, but I don’t know of any football club that has ever had success that has not spent money,” Dalglish said. “So it is necessary. But it’s even more important to spend it wisely. I’m no clairvoyant, I don’t know what will happen but I’m happy with who we’ve brought in. “We’ve acted responsibly in the transfer market and acted responsibly and respectfully with the owners, who have been fantastically supportive financially. If there is a better owner as supportive as John Henry, then they have done very well for themselves. “He is just a good lad. I’m not going to tell you what he does or how he helps. But he is a good fella. He cares passionately about the club and he wants it to go in the right direction.” For all their expenditure and ambition, there is an imbalance to Liverpool’s squad with the strength in depth in midfield produced by the signings of Adam, Downing and Henderson not matched in defensive areas, a weakness that has been exposed during a pre-season in which they have conceded goals at an alarming rate. FSG will continue to back Dalglish’s judgment in the transfer market if he identifies potential reinforcements to bolster a porous back line, but first it would prefer that the club’s books were balanced, at least to an extent, through the departure of several highly paid fringe members of the Liverpool squad, Cole being an obvious example. Liverpool are interested in José Enrique but it is understood that they are yet to make a firm offer for the Newcastle United left back, who is one of a number of options under consideration to fill that role. A centre back is also a priority but the lack of value in the transfer market in that particular position — Gary Cahill, the Bolton Wanderers defender, is available for £18million despite having started only one match for England — has turned Dalglish’s search into a protracted one. Liverpool missed out on Phil Jones, who opted for Manchester United and Champions League football over a move to Anfield. Neither that squad weakness nor a disappointing pre-season, though, has prevented a sense of optimism from building in Liverpool. It is something of which Dalglish is aware, particularly as he recognises that buoyancy can so easily give way to over-expectation, especially at a club where title challenges have been predicted and expected at times when the playing staff was clearly not up to the task. “In and around the city, you can see the feel-good factor is there for us,” Dalglish said. “Now we have got to go on the pitch and win games.”

Tony Barrett 1 minute ago - Bit about Cole, nice positive Article This time last year, Liverpool headed into the season with a manager whom the supporters did not want and owners whom they cared for even less, yet there were still those at the club who talked of the return of a feel-good factor after the acquisition of Joe Cole on a free transfer. Yesterday, with all the indications being that Cole’s brief but financially lucrative Anfield stay is set to come to an end with his house up for sale and Queens Park Rangers hovering, Kenny Dalglish used the same phrase to describe the atmosphere at the club. This time, no one doubted the existence of a feel-good factor, with the parading of a quartet of new signings underlining positivity, even if the ability of Liverpool’s squad to avert a “major disappointment”, in the words of John W. Henry by finishing in the top four of the Barclays Premier League is still open to question. By describing the importance of returning to the Champions League in such stark terms, Henry, the club’s principal owner, flirted with provoking unnecessary pressure. A year ago, had Tom Hicks or George Gillett Jr, the club’s previous owners, uttered similar sentiments it would have caused widespread revulsion. Now, instead of sparking a civil war, the only significant response to Henry’s musings came from a jovial Dalglish. “John’s a good lad,” the Liverpool manager said, his reaction indicative of the new-found harmony between the boardroom and boot room. Dalglish may be a diplomat who prizes club unity above all else, but he does not suffer fools and his assertion that Henry and his acolytes at Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are arguably the best owners in football was as telling as it was headline grabbing. By providing the financial backing that allowed Dalglish to parade four expensively assembled signings while remaining in the background and allowing the manager to get on with his job, FSG has lived up to the Shanklyism about directors being there only “to sign the cheques”. Henry has done that to the tune of £43 million this summer, an outlay on top of the £57 million that was shelled out in January to acquire Andy Carroll and Luis Suárez. For their latest round of investment, Dalglish has recruited Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Doni. FSG is expecting a return but there is also realism. For the first time in many years, no one at Liverpool is talking in terms of winning the Premier League. The top four is their target, a signal of a widespread acceptance that even spending £100 million on players in six months does not guarantee a title tilt, even if it does raise expectations. “Spending money does not guarantee you success, but I don’t know of any football club that has ever had success that has not spent money,” Dalglish said. “So it is necessary. But it’s even more important to spend it wisely. I’m no clairvoyant, I don’t know what will happen but I’m happy with who we’ve brought in. “We’ve acted responsibly in the transfer market and acted responsibly and respectfully with the owners, who have been fantastically supportive financially. If there is a better owner as supportive as John Henry, then they have done very well for themselves. “He is just a good lad. I’m not going to tell you what he does or how he helps. But he is a good fella. He cares passionately about the club and he wants it to go in the right direction.” For all their expenditure and ambition, there is an imbalance to Liverpool’s squad with the strength in depth in midfield produced by the signings of Adam, Downing and Henderson not matched in defensive areas, a weakness that has been exposed during a pre-season in which they have conceded goals at an alarming rate. FSG will continue to back Dalglish’s judgment in the transfer market if he identifies potential reinforcements to bolster a porous back line, but first it would prefer that the club’s books were balanced, at least to an extent, through the departure of several highly paid fringe members of the Liverpool squad, Cole being an obvious example. Liverpool are interested in José Enrique but it is understood that they are yet to make a firm offer for the Newcastle United left back, who is one of a number of options under consideration to fill that role. A centre back is also a priority but the lack of value in the transfer market in that particular position — Gary Cahill, the Bolton Wanderers defender, is available for £18million despite having started only one match for England — has turned Dalglish’s search into a protracted one. Liverpool missed out on Phil Jones, who opted for Manchester United and Champions League football over a move to Anfield. Neither that squad weakness nor a disappointing pre-season, though, has prevented a sense of optimism from building in Liverpool. It is something of which Dalglish is aware, particularly as he recognises that buoyancy can so easily give way to over-expectation, especially at a club where title challenges have been predicted and expected at times when the playing staff was clearly not up to the task. “In and around the city, you can see the feel-good factor is there for us,” Dalglish said. “Now we have got to go on the pitch and win games.”

From Times - Tony B makes reference about Enrique also in article about our defence posed below George Caulkin Northern Sports Correspondent 1 minute ago Midfield player fined and made to train alone To the surprise of nobody, including himself, Joey Barton found himself ostracised and fined by Newcastle United yesterday. But the 28-year-old, who has been told he can leave St James’ Park on a free transfer, will not be the only high-profile departure from the club, with José Enrique pushing to complete a move to Liverpool. Enrique, who has only one season remaining on his contract and has been agitating to leave, has been the subject of a protracted courtship by Kenny Dalglish, but the Spaniard will be obliged to lower his personal demands to secure a deal which would cost Liverpool about £6 million. The left back earns £46,000 a week at Newcastle but is said to want £60,000. Tony Barrett 1 minute ago Few teams can claim to have been as consistent as Liverpool in pre-season. In each of the five matches they have played, Kenny Dalglish’s side have conceded three goals, causing increasing alarm over defensive shortcomings that show no sign of being rectified. On Monday night in a 3-3 draw in Oslo, Valerenga, who occupy eleventh place in Norway’s top division, became the latest beneficiaries of defending that left Daniel Agger, the centre back, and Pepe Reina, the goalkeeper, cursing their performances. “The amount of goals we have conceded is not good enough,” Agger said. “We need to show we can keep a clean sheet and we have got to defend better. “If you are a footballer, you have to be a perfectionist. We are all the same as defenders. So far we just have to admit that [the way we have played] has not been good enough. There is definitely something to work on.” There are mitigating circumstances, in particular the disruption caused to Dalglish’s planning by a combination of injuries and the need to field players who are surplus requirements in the hope that there is a club willing to take them off Liverpool’s hands. Philipp Degen and Emiliano Insúa are among those who have featured despite having no future at Anfield, while mainstays such as Reina, Agger and Glen Johnson are only just returning to fitness after injury problems and Martin Skrtel is unavailable because of a calf strain. But with less than a fortnight to go before the start of the Barclays Premier League season the need for improvement is as urgent as it is apparent. “We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Reina said. “We cannot afford to concede so many goals. To let in three is not our identity. We have some new signings and we are still working them into our system.” Despite spending in the region of £43 million on Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing to reinforce his midfield, the one surprise about Dalglish’s transfer strategy this summer is that he has yet to acquire a single defender. Attempts were made to sign Gaël Clichy and Phil Jones but the decisions of those players to join Manchester City and Manchester United respectively served to remind Liverpool of the difficulties they face in the transfer market when rivalry is provided by Champions League clubs. José Enrique, the Newcastle United left back, could be recruited in the coming days but there is an argument that Liverpool’s need for a centre back is greater, given that Agger remains susceptible to injury, Skrtel has yet to convince and Jamie Carragher will celebrate his 34th birthday during the coming season. Sotirios Kyrgiakos will continue as back-up only. Dalglish acknowledged this weakness when he made his unsuccessful move for Jones, but the likelihood is that he will need to generate his own funds to sign a centre back in the hope that it will solve Liverpool’s defensive problems.

Tony Barrett 1 minute ago Liverpool’s summer spending has come to an end, for the time being, after Kenny Dalglish confirmed that the club’s immediate priority is to offload players rather than recruit them. Having overseen a £40 million recruitment drive that has resulted in Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Alexander Doni being signed, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool’s owner, is keen for the club to recoup at least some of the outlay through sales. Dalglish is still in the market for a central defender and a left back, but his pursuit of further reinforcements is only likely to come to fruition once a number of players who have been deemed surplus to requirements have been offloaded. The Liverpool manager is satisfied with the business his club have done so far this summer, but he is aware that the need to trim his squad has become more urgent. “We’re delighted with the work we’ve done,” Dalglish said. “Whether there’s more remains to be seen and depends on players going out.” Liverpool are open to offers for Christian Poulsen, Brad Jones, Philipp Degen, Emiliano Insúa and David Ngog, having already sold Paul Konchesky, the left back, to Leicester City for £1.5 million. Alberto Aquilani and Raul Meireles will also be allowed to leave should Liverpool receive substantial offers, with the Italy midfield player the most likely to depart. Aquilani was lauded by John W. Henry, the club’s principal owner, on Twitter after his positive displays during pre-season, but Liverpool have long since been prepared to sell him. Fiorentina are believed to be ready to offer him a return to Italy. Joe Cole would also be allowed to leave, but Liverpool are discovering that his £110,000-a-week contract is proving a deterrent to interested clubs. As a result, they are focusing on revitalising Cole’s career when they would have preferred to offload him. Should the pruning process be successful, Dalglish will be given the funds to bring in at least one defender with Diego Godín, the Atlético Madrid and Uruguay centre back, emerging as a potential target.

Can understand pros & cons of replacing Raul with Adam, just frustrating we would lose a player with obvious quality whilst having inferior players on higher wages remain - still hopeful we'll get rid of most of them by deadline time though

From Sunday Times. Fits recent reports, shame I like him personally Raul Meireles is ready to leave Liverpool after a dispute with the club’s owners over an informal agreement to improve his contract. The versatile Portugal midfielder, signed from Porto for an initial £11.5m last summer, has been offered overseas for about £13m. Voted the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year after a season in which he was central to Liverpool’s revival under Kenny Dalglish, the 28-year-old feels he has been let down. Such was Meireles’ desire to play Premier League football last August that he accepted a relatively low salary to facilitate a move. He believes there was an understanding that those terms would be revised if he did well. He started 32 Premier League games, scoring five times, but attempts to open talks about a new deal with owners Fenway Sports Group proved fruitless and last week he was told he was for sale. Juventus have offered a choice of Brazil international Felipe Melo or former Anfield midfielder Mohamed Sissoko in exchange for Meireles but Liverpool want straight cash. Dalglish is keen on recruiting domestic talent and having bought Jordan Henderson from Sunderland for an initial £16m, he is confident of sealing deals for Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing (£16m) and Blackpool playmaker Charlie Adam (£8m) before the month ends. It is understood Downing has already agreed personal terms with Liverpool, who also expect to secure Adam, a player they failed to land in January with a £7m offer.

Tony Barrett 1 minute ago Liverpool have stepped up their transfer activity, with Sylvain Marveaux on the verge of completing his move from Rennes after a medical examination and talks set to begin with Blackpool over a proposed deal to take Charlie Adam to Anfield. In what promises to be a particularly hectic window for Liverpool, Marveaux has taken a step nearer to becoming their second summer signing and the latest additional midfield option for Kenny Dalglish after the £16 million capture of Jordan Henderson from Sunderland last week. Although Marveaux, a France Under-21 player, is not able to complete his free transfer until July 1, when the transfer window opens in Europe, Liverpool are already working to tie up the loose ends on the deal for a winger who has been likened to Florent Malouda, of Chelsea. Next on the agenda for Dalglish is for Liverpool’s longstanding interest in Adam to come to fruition. Manchester United have been linked with a move for the midfield player, but Liverpool remain Adam’s favoured option, an obvious negotiating tool for the Merseyside club when talks with Blackpool finally get under way. A fee in the region of £12 million has been mooted for the 25-year-old, but Liverpool would be unwilling to spend that much on a player who has entered the final year of his contract and would therefore be able to leave on a free transfer at the end of next season. Liverpool’s attempts to improve a squad that has disappointed John W. Henry, the club’s principal owner, because of its lack of strength in depth given the size of the accompanying wage bill, will also result in several players being made available for transfer. The signing of Henderson, imminent acquisition of Marveaux and proposed moves for Adam and Stewart Downing, of Aston Villa, mean that Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani are surplus to requirements. The future of Raul Meireles is also in doubt, with Inter Milan monitoring his situation. The Italian club must first appoint a coach before their tentative interest becomes more concrete, but should they offer Liverpool a fee that would represent a significant profit on the £11 million they paid Porto for the 28-year-old last August, then Dalglish would have to decide whether to cash in on last season’s PFA Fans’ Player of the Year. Sotirios Kyrgiakos, though, appears set to remain at Anfield for the duration of the coming season at least after earning a one-year contract extension. The Greece defender, who turns 32 next month, originally joined Liverpool on a two-year deal at the onset of the 2009-10 campaign. But having played a predetermined number of matches, Kyrgiakos has automatically triggered the extension and will be retained to provide back-up to Liverpool’s frontline central defenders.

This was from Wednesdays Times - not byTony B though José Enrique has told Newcastle United that he will sit out the final year of his contract and leave on a free transfer next summer. The left back had been earmarked for a move to Liverpool but their interest appears to have wavered, possibly because the 25-year-old’s form dipped towards the end of the campaign.

Bit of a surprise that. Times yesterday/ day before saying we'd gone cool on Enrique

Tony Barrett 1 minute ago Liverpool have made their second statement of intent in a matter of days by launching an attempt to sign Gaël Clichy from Arsenal. Less than 48 hours after a deal valued at about £20 million was agreed with Sunderland for Jordan Henderson, Liverpool made an offer in the region of £5 million for Clichy, who has just entered the final year of his contract with the North London club. With Clichy having shown no willingness to sign a new deal with Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, the manager, has become resigned to the probability that the left back will leave this summer. But the expectation was that he would move to a team on the Continent rather than rivals in the Barclays Premier League. However, Liverpool’s determination to rejoin English football’s elite has led to them making an ambitious move for the 25-year-old and the early indications are that Clichy would be willing to make the switch to Anfield if the clubs can agree a fee. From being a summer in which they were expected to show their own ambitions in the transfer market, Arsenal now run the risk of losing two key players to domestic rivals, with Samir Nasri, the attacking midfield player, continuing to interest Manchester United. Wenger has vowed to keep Nasri out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s clutches, insisting that he will not countenance the departure of one of his star players to the champions. But the Arsenal manager is aware that Clichy’s exit seems inevitable and Liverpool have attempted to steal a march on their rivals for his signature by lodging a bid to which Arsenal will have to give due consideration, because the France defender would be eligible to leave on a free transfer next summer. One attraction that Liverpool can boast is the presence of Damien Comolli, the director of football. Clichy’s potential was first spotted by Comolli when he was working as an Arsenal scout and it was on his recommendation that Wenger signed Clichy as an 18-year-old from Cannes. He became the youngest player to win a Premier League medal as a member of Arsenal’s “Invincibles”, who went unbeaten throughout the 2003-04 season. Clichy has since gone on to establish himself as Wenger’s first-choice left back after Ashley Cole’s transfer to Chelsea in August 2006, but he has recently become disaffected to such an extent that his readiness to leave has been an open secret for some time. Given Liverpool’s failure to qualify for European competition, a move to Anfield from a club who are expecting to participate in the Champions League would represent something of a surprise. But it would also be a coup for Liverpool and would support the assertion of Kenny Dalglish, the manager, that the club’s stature is such that they can still attract international players even if they are not in a position to promise them European football. Henderson has already become the symbol of Liverpool’s desire to re-establish themselves, having all but completed his move from Sunderland. The capture of the 20-year-old midfield player is expected to be the first of many, with Clichy being joined on a lengthy wanted list by Charlie Adam, the Blackpool midfield player, Stewart Downing, the Aston Villa winger, and Connor Wickham, the Ipswich Town forward, among others. Their transfer strategy is built around a concerted effort to recruit players who are predominantly under 26. Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, has determined that it wants a youthful team to be constructed, one who can challenge for honours for several years and who are constantly bolstered by graduates from the club’s academy, the work of which has been praised by Pep Guardiola. In an interview with Catalan Radio, the Barcelona coach explained his respect for Liverpool’s revamped youth set-up, saying: “If they can manage those lads, then maybe 20 star players can arrive from that academy.”

Terrible article but funny. Ryan Giggs sex cheat Manchester United star tried to seduce brother Rhodri wifes MUM EXCLUSIVE - News - MirrorFootball.co.uk

£8m for somone who'd be boss at home & we may actually score from a corner / freekick...doesn't sound too bad to me. Likewise £13m +Ngog for Henderson sounds a lot better than £20m

Intersting if on the money Tony Barrett, George Caulkin 1 minute ago Liverpool are set to renew their longstanding interest in Charlie Adam, the Blackpool midfield player, after they moved closer to an agreement with Sunderland over Jordan Henderson’s proposed move to Anfield. The determination of Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), to restore the club to English football’s elite will be made apparent with the sanctioning of a series of transfers, starting with proposed deals for both Henderson — whose signing would see David Ngog, the forward, move to Sunderland in part-exchange — and Adam. It had been mooted that Liverpool’s attempts to snare Henderson would result in them dropping their interest in Adam as both players operate in central midfield, a position in which they already have a number of options. But the 25-year-old remains a key target for Kenny Dalglish, with the Liverpool manager keen to bolster his alternatives in midfield for the coming season. Dalglish attempted to sign Adam during the January transfer window only to see an offer in the region of £7 million initially rejected and subsequently dismissed as “unrealistic” and “unacceptable” by Ian Holloway, the Blackpool manager. But Blackpool’s bargaining position has been damaged by their relegation from the Barclays Premier League to the npower Championship and also by Adam entering the final year of his contract. Having had a transfer request rejected amid Liverpool’s interest in January, the Scotland international is unlikely to be passive when the Merseyside club return with another offer. Holloway continues to maintain that he would rather lose his captain for nothing at the end of next season than allow him to leave for a knockdown price this summer, but Liverpool will look for a negotiated settlement that will suit all parties rather than allow the saga to rumble on. In what promises to be a summer of high activity at Anfield, Liverpool are also ready to step up their interest in Stewart Downing, the Aston Villa wide midfield player, and Connor Wickham, the Ipswich Town forward. Downing’s recent admission that his career is “at a crossroads” has raised the possibility of the England international leaving Villa Park this summer and Liverpool are ready to offer the 26-year-old an opportunity to fulfil his ambitions with them should he signal an intent to move. Wickham is seen as a player of potential who already has the talent to compete for a place in Dalglish’s squad, despite being just 18 years old. Jeffrén Suárez, the Barcelona forward, has also come into the spotlight after giving an interview to Spanish radio in which he claimed to be aware of interest from Liverpool. But tying up a deal to sign Henderson remains their immediate priority, with discussions with Sunderland now at an advanced stage and focusing on their respective valuations of Ngog, the France Under-21 striker. Sunderland value Henderson, who has informed his boyhood club of his desire to move, at a minimum of £20 million, but were willing to accept £13 million plus Ngog, the 22-year-old. Liverpool had been prepared to offer £11 million in cash plus the player and were seeking add-ons to cover appearances, an arrangement that Sunderland indicated they would not accept. Ngog’s arrival would be welcome given the lack of fit strikers at the disposal of Steve Bruce, the Sunderland manager, who retains an interest in Peter Crouch, of Tottenham Hotspur. Sunderland believe they are close to signing Keiren Westwood, the Coventry City goalkeeper, who becomes a free agent this summer, and are also eager to add Sebastian Larsson, who is out of contract at Birmingham City, to their squad.

For me Rushy - best finisher, best defender & with Suarez a Dalglish link link up. Digger would be good mind!

More on JH etc Tony Barrett, George Caulkin 1 minute ago Sunderland are increasingly resigned to losing Jordan Henderson to Liverpool, provided that their £20 million valuation of the England midfield player is met. During a week of informal contact between the clubs, Sunderland have been waiting for Liverpool to “get serious” in their pursuit of the midfield player, but they accept that their interest is substantive and unlikely to fade. Steve Bruce has no desire to sell the 20-year-old, who has risen to prominence under his management, but Henderson has made it known that he is eager to talk to Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool are prepared to treble his £20,000-a-week wages. Liverpool’s initial approach to Sunderland valued Henderson — whose progress has also been monitored by Manchester United and Manchester City — in the region of £13 million, a figure that was dismissed out of hand by Niall Quinn, the chairman. A fee of £18.5 million has now been mentioned, much closer to the minimum figure deemed acceptable at the Stadium of Light for a player who has graduated from the club’s academy. Liverpool are reluctant to meet Sunderland’s demands but with the gap between the asking price and their own valuation having closed significantly in recent days, it seems probable that a compromise fee will be struck, particularly with Henderson being keen to wrap up the proposed transfer before he travels to Denmark tomorrow with the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship finals. There has been no move from Liverpool to rekindle their interest in Lee Cattermole, the Sunderland captain, who was on the club’s radar during his spell at Wigan Athletic. With the acquisition of Henderson now seemingly imminent, Liverpool have no need to be in the market for another central midfield player, particularly with Charlie Adam, the Blackpool captain, being another of their key summer targets. Liverpool are likely to be one of the Premier League’s busiest clubs during the transfer window, with Dalglish and Damien Comolli, the director of football, having identified several players whom they would like to sign and a number of others that they are keen to sell. Danny Wilson could be one of the first to leave, although should the central defender, as expected, complete a move to Rangers less than 12 months after he left Ibrox, it will be on a loan basis rather than permanently. Wilson has been unconvincing since he moved to Liverpool in a transfer worth an initial £2 million and his lack of regular first-team opportunities has caused Dalglish, the manager, to accept that the 19-year-old’s development would be best served by a spell at his former club. Rangers are in the market for a defender, with Madjid Bougherra almost certain to leave this summer and as such the proposed move for Wilson appears to be in the interests of all parties