Skully

Think it is, in tomorrows paper

Slightly more positive than Telegraph acticle. Kirdi looks & acts like a Middle Eastern Fat Dunk tho Post a comment Follow Premier League stories Recommend (0) PrintTony Barrett Updated 11 minutes ago Barclays Capital (BarCap) remains hopeful of at least two bids for Liverpool being lodged by tomorrow’s deadline despite the fact that not a single offer has been made for the club. Kenny Huang, a Hong Kong-based tycoon, and Yahya Kirdi, a Syrian businessman, have been involved in a very public race to buy the club, but neither has shown their hand, forcing BarCap to consider extending its deadline. Martin Broughton, the Liverpool chairman who was brought in with a specific remit to sell the club, had identified the end of this week as the deadline for all parties to submit legally binding offers, including proof of funds. Liverpool are expected to complete the signing of Brad Jones in the coming days having increased their initial £2 million bid to Middlesbrough for the Australian goalkeeper. Roy Hodgson is also close to tying up the loose ends on Christian Poulsen’s £5 million transfer from Juventus. with the midfield player likely to be in the Liverpool squad for Sunday’s Premier League match at home to Arsenal.

Shamelessly nicked from the Telegraph.... Can I mind yer tanks la?

From Tony Barrett in Times... Roy Hodgson will keep his job as Liverpool manager and be handed £150 million to spend on new players if the Chinese Government’s bid to buy the club proves successful. As revealed in The Times today, Kenny Huang, the Hong Kong-based businessman, is fronting the bid by China Investment Corporation (CIC), the overseas investment arm of the Chinese Government. A formal offer has still to be lodged, but although there is interest from other parties, Huang — backed by the wealth of one of the fastest-growing economies in the world — is believed to be the front-runner to complete a purchase. CIC is prepared to back Hodgson by bankrolling a number of high-profile signings and has made a commitment to build a new stadium. Liverpool are also attracting interest from the Rhône Group, the New York-based fund management firm, and the al-Kharafi family from Kuwait. Yahya Kirdi, a Canadian-based businessman from Syria, claimed yesterday that he is close to finalising a deal, but it is understood that he is negotiating only with George Gillett Jr, the club’s co-owner, and has not been involved with RBS, which holds Liverpool’s £237 million debt, or Barclays Capital, the investment bank overseeing the sale. After his appointment as the successor to Rafael Benítez in July, Hodgson said that the possibility of a takeover had been a factor in discussions before he signed a three-year contract and revealed that clauses had been inserted in the deal affording him financial protection in the event of new owners deciding to replace him as manager. The Chinese, though, have no desire to dispose of the 62-year-old, who insists that the situation has not prevented him from going about his job in the right manner. “I knew when I came to the club that a takeover may or may not come about, that it may come about quickly or it may take a lot of time,” Hodgson said. “But I was given assurances that I would be allowed to do the job in the right way and that’s certainly been the case since I’ve been here.” Asked would it be easier for the club to plan ahead under new owners, he said: “That’s for sure. But I don’t want to go down the ownership route because I don’t know enough about it, apart from knowing that, at the moment, unfortunately the owners we have are very unpopular with the fans. They know it and that is why they are prepared to sell the club.” Hodgson takes charge of Liverpool at Anfield for the first time tonight when his team take a 2-0 lead into the second leg of the Europa League third qualifying round tie with Rabotnicki, of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The manager is not willing to allow either himself or his players to hide behind the uncertainty surrounding the club, and insists that they must be masters of their own fortune. Fernando Torres, who pledged his commitment to Liverpool yesterday, had recently called on the club to match his ambition by signing “four or five” top-class players, but Hodgson says that it is the responsibility of those already at the club to shape the future

Well happy with that. Once concern lack pace in team /squad

Tony B mentions Defour in Times also - and Poulsen... Javier Mascherano has been left out of the Liverpool squad for their latest pre-season friendly as Roy Hodgson steps up his search for a replacement for the midfield player by training his sights on two new signings. Christian Poulsen, of Juventus, and Steven Defour, of Standard Liège, are both under consideration by the Liverpool manager, who is determined not to waste any time in his pursuit for a successor for Mascherano. The Argentina captain appears destined for a reunion with Rafael Benítez at Inter Milan as soon as a fee can be agreed between the clubs, having already informed Liverpool of his desire to leave. Defour has attracted the attention of Manchester United in the past and is believed to be available for transfer for about €12 million (about £9.98 million), having been one of the outstanding performers in the Belgian league in recent seasons. A hard-running midfield player, the 22-year old would not be regarded as a like-for-like replacement for the more defensive-minded Mascherano, but he would represent a significant acquisition should Liverpool’s interest harden sufficiently to convince him to move to Anfield. Poulsen, who played under Hodgson for Copenhagen, was withdrawn from the Juventus side for their 2-0 win over Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League third qualifying round, first leg on Thursday night for “technical reasons”, with Giuseppe Marotta, the club’s general director, subsequently confirming that a move to Anfield could be imminent. “Liverpool have shown interest in Poulsen,” Marotta said. Mascherano has not been included in the Liverpool travelling party for tomorrow’s friendly match away to Borussia Mönchengladbach despite Hodgson’s insistence that he would continue to utilise the Argentina captain until the club receive an offer for his services that they feel is acceptable. Having begun his pre-season preparations only on Monday after an extended post-World Cup break, Mascherano will instead continue to build up his match fitness at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground amid continuing interest from Inter Milan, who are believed to be ready to bid in excess of £20 million for the 26-year-old, with the likelihood being that he has played his last game for the club. Should that prove to be the case then Lucas Leiva, who captained Liverpool in Thursday night’s 2-0 win over Rabotnicki in the Europa League qualifying match in the Federal Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, believes he is ready to fill the holding midfield role for which Mascherano is renowned. “Of course we all hope Javier stays because he is such a good player, but we’ll have to wait and see over that,” Lucas said. “I’m not the same player as Javier, we have different styles, but I am ready to play and to impress and do whatever job the manager needs. “I think I did well last season but I think in this one I can do even better wherever I play. I know I am able to play the role Javier does because last season I played a few games when he was at right back. I’ve got no problem with doing that job — I know I can do it if that is what the manager wants.” Lucas’s spell as captain will be short-lived, with Steven Gerrard ready to return to action in tomorrow’s warm-up match, along with the likes of Jamie Carragher and Joe Cole, the recent signing from Chelsea.

Are you wanking whilst typing?

Mascherano has long been unhappy at Anfield and has cited the homesickness that has affected his wife, Fernanda, as the main motivating factor behind his desire to quit the club he joined from West Ham United 3½ years ago in a move that eventually cost Liverpool in the region of £18 million. Christ had to read that bit twice...

Not so happy news about Pachecho at bottom of TB article in Times Roy Hodgson has provided Alberto Aquilani with assurances that he will be given the opportunity to prove that he can become an influential player for Liverpool despite a first season in English football undermined by injury. The Italy midfield player started only nine Barclays Premier League matches after a £17 million transfer from Roma and there has been speculation that Liverpool could sell Aquilani should they receive an offer that would recoup much of their outlay. Hodgson, though, made it clear to Aquilani that he is not looking to let him go, in keeping with his belief that the 26-year-old’s technical ability will come to the fore now that the ankle injury that plagued him for much of the past 12 months has cleared up. Aquilani has returned to Merseyside for treatment on a knock picked up during a pre-season friendly against Grasshopper Zurich on Wednesday night. Club officials stressed that the injury is not serious and Aquilani is expected to be fit for the first leg of Liverpool’s Europa League qualifier away to Rabotnicki, of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on Thursday. While his immediate future at Anfield appears to be secure, that of Daniel Pacheco is uncertain. The 19-year-old forward has been one of the stars of the European Under-19 Championship being held in France, but doubts about the amount of first-team football he will get have led the Spaniard to consider overtures from Málaga, his home-town club. “Málaga? Why not?” Pacheco said. “We will see what happens after the European Under-19 Championships.”

Morning all - please move to appropriate place Tony Barrett Last updated July 23 2010 12:01AM Liverpool are intensifying their efforts to convince Fernando Torres not to quit Anfield, with Christian Purslow, the managing director, engaged in two days of talks with the Spain striker. Torres has yet to commit himself to Liverpool amid interest from Chelsea and Manchester City, and the challenge facing Purslow is to convince the 26-year-old that his ambition to compete for football’s biggest prizes can be realised at Anfield. In the recent past, Torres has been at pains to stress the need for transfer funding to be provided for Liverpool to be able to recruit the “four or five” top-class players he feels are needed if the club are to pose a threat to Chelsea and Manchester United. Liverpool’s debt problems mean such a scenario will be highly unlikely, if not impossible, until their long- running search for investment comes to fruition. But the club’s board remains steadfast in its belief that a change of ownership will occur in the near future, with Martin Broughton, the chairman, hopeful it could happen within months. Although Torres would command a large transfer fee and provide Roy Hodgson with a substantial kitty, the Liverpool manager is adamant that he is not interested in selling a player whom he regards as one of the best goalscorers in the game and he remains hopeful that Torres will follow Steven Gerrard by ruling out a move. “Christian Purslow has been talking to Fernando Torres for the last two days so there have been lots of words, but I haven’t spoken to him,” Hodgson said. “I was confident Steven Gerrard would stay with Liverpool because he is the heart and soul of the club. It would have been a major blow to lose him. “Gerrard has pretty much said he’s staying and that’s a big boost. Hopefully he will soon be followed by Fernando Torres.” Liverpool will face Rabotnicki on Thursday in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Europa League after the side from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ousted Mika yesterday, a 0-0 draw in Armenia securing a 1-0 victory on aggregate.