LFC Daily Update News & Rumours

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Liverpool have made an offer for Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson.

The Times says Liverpool have offered up to £4 million for the City youngster.

I know City won't sell anyway.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Javier Mascherano stands just 90 minutes away from Copa America glory after Argentina set up a dream final with Brazil with a comfortable 3-0 semi-final success over Mexico last night.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Former Liverpool player Vladimir Smicer has returned to Slavia Prague following the expiration of his contract at Bordeaux.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Adam Hammill has signed for Southampton on a season-long loan.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Sydney FC set Fowler a weekend deadline

Former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler is in Sydney to consider an offer to become the club's new marquee player.

Fowler, 32, a free agent after being released by the Reds at the end of last season, arrived yesterday morning and will inspect the club's new training base at Macquarie University, and will be shown the facilities at Sydney Football Stadium.

Having laboured through previous negotiations with Phillip Cocu and John Aloisi, it is believed the club will want a firm answer from Fowler, nicknamed "God" by Liverpool's fans, before he is due to fly back to England on Monday.

Fowler has other offers on the table, with English League One club Port Vale confirming they have approached the striker, while Leicester and Cardiff are also interested in his signature.

Whether or not a player who has scored 162 Premier League goals would fancy playing against the likes of Yeovil and Cheltenham remains to be seen but Port Vale chairman Bill Bratt was prepared to take a chance on the move.

He told told PA Sport: "We've approached Robbie Fowler's agent to see whether he would be interested in playing for Port Vale.

"We obviously can't afford to pay him what other clubs can but he's a very wealthy man anyway and we hope he may want to play for the pleasure of it.

"I believe Cardiff are offering him £8000 ($18,000) a week and we can't match that.

"But it's a chance for us as far as I'm concerned. We've asked the question and if the answer's no, it's no."

Vale's average home attendance was just 4724 last season as they finished 12th in League One but Bratt hopes that the lure of regular football in Martin Foyle's starting line-up may persuade Fowler to move to Vale Park.

Bratt said: "I believe he has other offers but he may fancy the club and it may be something he wants to do.

"You don't go from being a brilliant player to a bad player overnight and we think he would be a superb addition for us.

"We can offer him regular football and at his age that may be what he is looking for.

"We have inquired about his availability and we have to wait for his agent to get back to us before we can discuss terms."

Fowler's agent, George Scott, told the Sentinel newspaper: "I've had many a good night in Stoke-on-Trent, so you never know. Robbie is ruling nothing out, especially if it is an ambitious club and he can see himself going there and taking them up to a new level."

Source: Sydney Morning Herald - Business News, World News & Breaking News - Sydney, Australia

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Bluebirds chairman Peter Ridsdale has revealed Cardiff have spurned a seven-figure offer from Liverpool for youngster Aaron Ramsey.The 16-year-old midfielder has only played one minute of first-team football and is the youngester player to ever feature for City.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Liverpool have signed a multi-million pound deal with Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports to set up a club television station at Anfield.

Subscribers to the Irish sports network, which recently won the rights to screen 46 live Premiership games this season, will now receive Liverpool TV as part of their package, with no additional fees.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

New squad numbers confirmed

Liverpool have today allocated squad numbers to new signings Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel.

Israeli star Benayoun will wear the number 11 shirt vacated by Mark Gonzalez while former Ajax starlet Babel has been given the number 19 jersey.

Alvaro Arbeloa will switch from number 2 to number 17 for the coming season while the returning Scott Carson will be number 26.

Source: Liverpoolfc.tv: Official Web Site

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Liverpool submit new stadium plan

Liverpool have submitted plans for their new stadium at Stanley Park to the city council and hope to begin work by the end of the year.
The proposal sets out a timetable for construction of the arena, which could cost £280m and has a 60,000 capacity.

A planning application is scheduled for 25 July and the stadium has potential for expansion to accommodate 80,000 fans, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Liverpool hope to receive permission by October and start work before 2008.

New Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks said recently: "The design is now final. It's spectacular and I can't wait for everybody to see it.

"I think our fans will love it. It's very creative architecture, very contemporary but also unique to Liverpool.

"It is all centred around the Kop - it will be the symphony stage that plays to the symphony hall."

Source: BBC Sport

[red pisces]

Rick Parry:Team is key

Liverpool's plans for a new £280million stadium can never divert attention from on-field success, chief executive Rick Parry has insisted.

A busy week for the Reds has seen them take their summer spending spree past the £30million mark and also submit plans to the city council for their new 60,000 home in Stanley Park.

The proposal, which is due to be discussed by councillors next week, allows for work to begin by the end of the year, with Rafael Benitez's side due to move to their new home for the start of the 2010-11 season.

But while Liverpool's departure from Anfield is likely to gain many of the headlines in the coming years, Parry is adamant that the club's summer captures of the likes of Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun show that the team will always be central to the Reds hierarchy's thinking.

"A huge amount has been done in a fairly short space of time," Parry said of the stadium proposal, which was redrawn following the arrival of new American club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

"The key thing is that it all stems from success on the pitch - there's only a point in building a fantastic new stadium if it's a winning strategy and it's going to be filled by a winning team.

"So we've been very quick not to hold back on the team, let's get that right, while in the background the stadium continues apace.

"I think people will be very excited when they see the plans."

Parry also confirmed that the stadium has been designed to allow for significant extension, possibly to an 80,000 capacity.

"We will have expansion capacity," he told Sky Sports News.

"One of the drawbacks of the previous design was that it was going to be fixed at just over 60,000. There will be significant extra capacity available in the new design."

Football365.com - PARRY: TEAM IS KEY - All The News - Football365 News

[Mighty T.A.L.]

I don't see the need of a 80,000 capacity.It could take away a bit of the atmosphere.Liverpool don't need the biggest stadium in the Premiership.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Reds make Mancini contact

Liverpool are mulling over a move for Roma's Alessandro Mancini, according to the player's agent.

Mancini enjoyed a superb campaign last season and has reportedly attracted the attention of several clubs, including Juventus and Liverpool.

His representative Gilmar Veloz claims he has talked with Rafa Benitez about a possible transfer, although he admits the two clubs have yet to enter negotiations.

"There has been interest from Liverpool and I have spoken with Benitez," Veloz told Radio Centro Suono Sport.

"I replied that they must talk with Roma, but if the Giallorossi were to sell him I'd have no trouble striking a deal."

Mancini's current contract runs out in 2009 but Veloz insists his client would like to remain with the club.

However, the Brazilian has yet to agree a contract extension and Veloz admits his future remains uncertain.

He explained: "On Monday I'll be meeting with Roma sporting director Daniele Prade to talk about contracts, I don't know what their offer is yet."

"Does Mancini want to stay? Surely if he didn't he would have already left."

Reports in the Italian press suggest Mancini will consider leaving if he is not offered a substantial pay rise.

Source: Skysports

This is silly when it's obvious there isn't any room for another wing player.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Reds run in to trouble with two foreign imports

Liverpool could fall foul of the UK immigration rules yet again, in a situation reminiscent of the Mark Gonzalez affair.

Firstly new boy Lucas Leiva, the £4.5 million Brazilian signing, is due to join up with the Liverpool squad next week, but the reds are still awaiting passport clearance for the 20 year old. The reds have been working on securing an Italian passport for the player for a number of weeks, but Rafa remains hopeful.

“We expect Lucas to be able to join us in Switzerland.”

Meanwhile the signing of Bulgarian Under-21 goalkeeper Nikolay Mikhailov could also run in to a spot of bother. Mikhailov has been training with the first team squad in the last few days but work-permit issues may mean the reds would have to send him back to Bulgaria.

Liverpool are believed to be unwilling to go through another lengthy work-permit application as they did with Mark Gonzalez - who had a move to Liverpool delayed by a year.

Source: anfield-online.co.uk

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Andriy Voronin will make his debut this afternoon in the pre-season friendly with Crewe at Gresty Road.