BENITEZ : MIDFIELD MAESTRO WILL STAY

Benitez:”Midfield maestro will stay”

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is confident Javier Mascherano will sign a permanent deal to stay with the club.

The on-loan midfielder has been linked with a £17m move to Manchester City but Benitez is upbeat that the Argentine will remain at Anfield.

“He said to me that he wants to stay here, so I have confidence,” he said.

Liverpool would have to negotiate with Media Sports Investments, the consortium which “owns” Mascherano, to agree a permanent contract.

Benitez’s attempts to buy the player were recently blocked by Liverpool’s American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

But the Liverpool manager remains optimistic of securing a longer-term agreement, beyond the 18-month loan period which expires this summer.

“Clearly, I hope Mascherano stays here,” he said. “I am confident he can be persuaded to stay.

“He is playing well and everyone knows he is a good player and there are not too many world-class holding midfielders around.

“He wants to stay, our supporters like him and we will try to keep him.”

Mascherano and his advisers are believed to want to tie up a deal as quickly as possible.

Liverpool risk the midfielder signing a pre-contract agreement elsewhere if they do not offer him permanent terms by next month.

In October, Mascherano said he hoped he can do enough to turn his loan deal with Liverpool into a permanent move at the end of the season.

“I’d love to stay and I will do everything I can to do so. It depends on what everyone decides at the end of the season,” he said.

“I have just got to make sure everyone is happy with my performances and they want me to stay. I want to be here to play in the new stadium.

“We are already one of the greatest clubs in the world, but with the plans for the future we could become the world’s greatest team.”

Mascherano, rested for last weekend’s 4-0 win over Bolton, is now set to play a key part in a critical week that could define Liverpool’s season.

Reds monitoring Silva

Reds monitoring Silva


Adrien Silva could be the latest young talent to come off the Sporting Lisbon production line and join the Premier League.

The talented 19-year-old is beginning to make a name for himself in Portugal, having impressed in the centre of midfield.

Silva, who captains Portugal’s Under-19 side, is thought to be a £3million target for Tottenham boss Juande Ramos.

Nani and in particular Cristiano Ronaldo have shown Portuguese imports can thrive in English football - and Silva admits he would one day like to follow the same path as his compatriots.

Liverpool and Sevilla have also been mooted as possible rivals for his signature, with Silva aware that English clubs have been monitoring his progress.

“I know English scouts have watched me. The Premier League is one of the biggest in the world.”

Capello reveals Liverpool approach

Capello reveals Liverpool approach


Fabio Capello has been ‘tapped up’ twice by Liverpool as Rafael Benitez battles to stay in control at Anfield.

Capello claims he was contacted before last week’s Champions League clash with Porto as Benitez’s relationship with Liverpool owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks reached crisis point.

This will alarm the FA who see Capello as a possible England manager and Newcastle, if reports in the Daily Star are to be believed that they want him to replace Sam Allardyce.

Capello’s Liverpool link is revealed in the Daily Mirror who add that although Benitez and the Americans have agreed a ceasefire, they may not yet qualify for the latter stages of the Champions League - and that could spell the end for Benitez.

Man City planning £17m bid for Mascherano

Man City planning £17m bid for Mascherano


Manchester City have held talks with the advisors of Javier Mascherano over a £17m move from Liverpool.

City boss Sven Goran Eriksson has targeted the Argentina star after learning his future at Anfield is uncertain because the club are stalling over making his deal at the club a permanent one.

Liverpool chief Rafa Benitez has been desperate to convince American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to stump up the cash for Mascherano.

But he faces losing one of his most prized assets because no deal has been offered – and now Mascherano’s men are exploring other options according to reports in the Daily Star.

They claim a meeting took place in a London hotel last week between one of the midfielder’s advisors and a close associate of City owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mascherano is owned by a consortium headed by Kia Joorabchian, the same group who look after Manchester United star Carlos Tevez.

The deal that took the midfielder to Anfield from West Ham was basically a loan agreement which is due to run out at the end of this season – at which point Liverpool would have to cough up £17m to keep him at the club.

City have been quick to make their interest known – and could even attempt to conclude a deal which would see him move to Eastlands in January.

O`NEILL : ”NO CARSON DEAL, YET"

Martin O’Neill has insisted there is no deal with Liverpool to turn keeper Scott Carson’s loan into a permanent move.

There has been speculation the two clubs have already agreed a deal, which would be worth around £10million, to make Carson’s year-long loan a permanent transfer.

But Villa boss O’Neill insisted that was “mere hearsay” although he is a big fan of Carson who hit the headlines for the wrong reasons after his costly blunder as England lost their Euro 2008 qualifier with Croatia.

O’Neill said: “Is the Scott Carson deal going through? He is here for the season and we have heard nothing from Liverpool at all.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean that you couldn’t start talking about something beforehand (the end of the season) and I’m aware Rafael Benitez mentioned something about it a week or so ago.

“But Liverpool haven’t spoken to us - and haven’t spoken since Scott was capped for England.”

O’Neill added: “I will look at the situation and Liverpool will be very much in the driving seat because they can dictate what the player is going to cost.

“But there is no agreement on a fee. It is as simple as that. The rest of it is hearsay.”

TORRES : " YOU GO, I GO"

Fernando Torres has warned Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett the top players at the club will quit if Rafa Benitez is sacked.

Benitez is under pressure at Anfield after speaking out against the American owners’ transfer policy.

However, the manager is still loved by the fans and players and Torres warned: ‘He cannot leave.

‘The fans have given their verdict and it was clear. Benitez has created a team of people who are indebted to him. It’s certain if he goes many players will think about their futures.

‘Benitez is not just another manager. He created a team and put his faith in players that owe him a lot,’ added Torres, who opened the scoring in yesterday’s 4-0 win over Bolton at Anfield.

http://kop-tv.com/go/headlines/torres-you-go-i-go/

LIVERPOOL vs PORTO

Watch the match on scv channel 24 ( star sports ). Liverpool has to win the rest of the matches to qualify for the Champions League. Porto just need a draw. The game was quite interesting. Fernando Torres made an opening goal in the 13th min. Then Porto equalize in the 33rd min.

Game became more interesting in the 2nd half. Liverpool got so many chances. Then in the 78th min Torres struck again with a goal. 4 mins later Liverpool was given a penalty kick when a Porto player touch a ball in the box. It was captain Gerard who has the honour of taking the penalty. Last of all, substitute Crouch sealed the match with a goal.

LIVERPOOL 4 PORTO 1

GO LIVERPOOL GO !!!!!!

YOU"LL NEVER WALK ALONE