Rafa Benitez - Will Rafa leave?

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Rafa names players who face axe

Liverpool were defeated in last night's Champions League final, despite looking like the best team for large portions of the match.

Rafa Benitez has wasted no time in announcing which players will be on the move. Whilst Liverpool have progressed significantly in Europe over recent years, the cost of this has been their title challenge, finishing some 21 points behind the Champions, Manchester United, this season.

Mark Gonzalez, who Rafa signed last season, and Boudewijn Zenden, who was signed the season before, are the two players mentioned as moving on.

"We must not waste this moment," said Benitez. "We must move quickly to sign our number one targets.

"If we wait we will be chasing the players who are second and third on our list. We need to change the structure of the club on and off the pitch.

"We must make progress, and make it now to take us up two or three levels straight away.

"There will be several players leaving," he added, with Gonzalez tipped to join Real Betis. "We will wait for offers.

"We have a deal nearly completed for Gonzalez and I have told Bolo that he can talk to other clubs. We know the situation we have now."

Source: footballexpo.com

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Jerzy Dudek and Robbie Fowler is also free to go when their contract expires this summer.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Liverpool chiefs: Rafa can have all the cash he wants

George Gillett has vowed to back Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez to the hilt in the transfer market this summer.

Benitez has urged Gillett and co-owner Tom Hicks to fund a major spending spree if the beaten Champions League finalists are to mount a challenge on all fronts next season.

Gillett seems ready to do just that, saying in the Daily Telegraph: 'If Rafa said he wanted to buy 'Snoogy Doogy', we would back him.' The American tycoon would also back any attempt to bring Michael Owen back to Anfield but insisted Benitez would have the final say on what strikers the club recruits.

Gillett said: 'He [Owen] is a great player but it is down to Rafa's recommendation, not us.

'Rafa's feeling is we need more depth because of the rigours of the schedule to be competitive.

'In every sport I participate in, there is a difference between a league season and the play-offs.

'That's where the genius of the manager is so essential and that's where Tom and I have to defer to his background and genius.'

Source: metro.co.uk

[russe||]

Apparently Benitez spent £95m on players in the 3 years since he took over. I can't say I'm too worried about Liverpool having even more cash as if Benitez sticks to form he'll by largely mediocre, Spanish players who don't really improve Liverpool's first 11.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Maybe he will be more lucky this time on the market.

[russe||]

Just found this, a list of all Benitez' signings. God he's crap at buying players.

Aurelio (Valencia, free)
Pennant (Birmingham, £6.7m)
Kuyt (Feyenoord, £9m)
El Zhar (St Etienne, undisc)
Duran (Malaga, undisc)
Arbeloa (Deportivo, £2.6m)
Reina (Villarreal, £6m)
Gonzalez (Albacete, £4.5m)
Zenden (M’boro, free)
Barragan (Seville, undisc)
Sissoko (Valencia, £5.6m)
Crouch (Soton, £7m)
Antwi (Zaragoza, undisc)
Hobbs (Lincoln, undisc)
Anderson (Hull, undisc)
Kromkamp (Villarreal, swap)
Martin (MK Dons, undisc)
Agger (Brondby, £5.8m)
Fowler (Man City, free)
Bellamy (Blackburn, £6m)
Paletta (Banfield, £2m)
Josemi (Malaga, £2m)
Garcia (Barcelona, £6m)
Alonso (Sociedad, £10.5m)
Nunez (Real Madrid, swap)
Pellegrino (Valencia, Free)
Morientes (Real Madrid, £6.3m)
Scott Carson (Leeds, £750,000).

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Pennant, Kuyt, Reina, Sissoko, Crouch, Agger, Garcia and Alonso are those I think have been a good buy.Carson also but he hasn't got a real chance to play yet.But £750 000 for him was a good buy.Mascherano was a great signing.

[Werdna]

Originally Posted by russe||

Just found this, a list of all Benitez' signings. God he's crap at buying players.

Aurelio (Valencia, free)
Pennant (Birmingham, £6.7m)
Kuyt (Feyenoord, £9m)
El Zhar (St Etienne, undisc)
Duran (Malaga, undisc)
Arbeloa (Deportivo, £2.6m)
Reina (Villarreal, £6m)
Gonzalez (Albacete, £4.5m)
Zenden (M’boro, free)
Barragan (Seville, undisc)
Sissoko (Valencia, £5.6m)
Crouch (Soton, £7m)
Antwi (Zaragoza, undisc)
Hobbs (Lincoln, undisc)
Anderson (Hull, undisc)
Kromkamp (Villarreal, swap)
Martin (MK Dons, undisc)
Agger (Brondby, £5.8m)
Fowler (Man City, free)
Bellamy (Blackburn, £6m)
Paletta (Banfield, £2m)
Josemi (Malaga, £2m)
Garcia (Barcelona, £6m)
Alonso (Sociedad, £10.5m)
Nunez (Real Madrid, swap)
Pellegrino (Valencia, Free)
Morientes (Real Madrid, £6.3m)
Scott Carson (Leeds, £750,000).

From that list most of them wer good buys or at least worth the small fee paid.
In fact except for Morientes (but who could have known...) all the more expensive buys have been good.

More obviouse from that is that Benitez hasn't been able to splash much money out especially compared to other large teams...

[russe||]

Originally Posted by Werdna

More obviouse from that is that Benitez hasn't been able to splash much money out especially compared to other large teams...

That just isn't true. One of the papers published stats today and they said something like: Since Benitez took over Chelsea have spent £90m, Liverpool £45m, Man Utd £44m and Arsenal £5m.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Arsenal only £5M?And they are still the winner on the transfer market.Impressiv!

[kennethlindheim]

Arsenal have spent more than £5mill. Didn't they pay £6.5mill due to a get-out clause in his contract at Borussia Dortmund? Adebayor - £3m.

[NJ10]

yeah and theo walcott was nice n cheap as well, and hleb......

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Of course Arsenal have used much more money!

[The Rule]

Manure have spent more than us too!!!

Daft Manure fans, letting on Fergie works with scraps. Does he bolox!

[russe||]

FFS you are all retards. Of course all those clubs have paid out more money than those figures but those numbers are transfers in - transfers out.

e.g. United bought Carrick last summer £17m but 'sold' Mikel for £12m, and sold van Nistelrooy for £10m. 17 - 12 - 10 = -5 therefore last summer we made £5m on transfers.