Liverpool's Rafa Benitez missing out on transfer hopes as finances cut
While fellow holidaymakers at his Spanish mountain retreat amuse themselves doing crosswords or sudoku, Rafa Benitez has been playing his own version of noughts and crosses.
The rules are very simple. Benitez starts with a list of summer transfer targets and one by one crosses them out until he is left with nought.
He has already put a line through the first of those names – Gareth Barry – and now his pen is poised over Glen Johnson, David Silva, Carlos Tevez and Raul Albiol.
Having Barry pinched from under his nose by Manchester City is a huge embarrassment for the Liverpool boss, who used to moan outgoing chief executive Rick Parry missed out on several targets because he acted too slowly.
Now, in his first summer in full control of transfers after winning his power struggle with Parry, Benitez has failed his first big test because he did not move quickly enough.
Worse could follow. After being confident of signing Johnson from Portsmouth for £12million, Chelsea are threatening to beat him to the England right-back. Similarly Benitez felt he was in pole position to land Silva from his old club Valencia, only for Real Madrid to declare an interest.
Real sporting director Miguel Paradeza and general director Jorge Valdano met Silva’s agent Julio Llorente for 90 minutes earlier this week.
Benitez has improved his initial £15m offer to almost £18m, but knows Real have the financial muscle to elbow him aside.
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Tevez is almost certain to be crossed out, the striker’s head having been turned by City’s eye-watering offer of £120,000-a-week, which Benitez simply cannot match.
Even Albiol at Valencia could slip from Benitez’s grasp. The Spain centre-half is attracting interest from Real and Barcelona.
As he crosses off the names on his list, Benitez is being forced to consider lesser lights, such as Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin plus Gary O’Neil, Tuncay and Adam Johnson from relegated Middlesbrough.
They would provide, at affordable prices, the bodies Benitez needs to bolster his squad, but are hardly the major signings he hinted at when he declared his buys this summer had to be “perfect”.
He is not helped by Liverpool’s £359m debts, which allow him just £15m for transfers. He had hoped to boost this by landing Barry for £8m and selling Xabi Alonso for £20m.
City scuppered that and now he faces losing Alonso, unhappy at being touted around for a second summer, with no replacement in the pipeline.
It may only be June 6, but already looks like being a long summer for Benitez
He has already put a line through the first of those names – Gareth Barry – and now his pen is poised over Glen Johnson, David Silva, Carlos Tevez and Raul Albiol.
Having Barry pinched from under his nose by Manchester City is a huge embarrassment for the Liverpool boss, who used to moan outgoing chief executive Rick Parry missed out on several targets because he acted too slowly.
Now, in his first summer in full control of transfers after winning his power struggle with Parry, Benitez has failed his first big test because he did not move quickly enough.
Worse could follow. After being confident of signing Johnson from Portsmouth for £12million, Chelsea are threatening to beat him to the England right-back. Similarly Benitez felt he was in pole position to land Silva from his old club Valencia, only for Real Madrid to declare an interest.
Real sporting director Miguel Paradeza and general director Jorge Valdano met Silva’s agent Julio Llorente for 90 minutes earlier this week.
Benitez has improved his initial £15m offer to almost £18m, but knows Real have the financial muscle to elbow him aside.
Advertisement - article continues below »
Tevez is almost certain to be crossed out, the striker’s head having been turned by City’s eye-watering offer of £120,000-a-week, which Benitez simply cannot match.
Even Albiol at Valencia could slip from Benitez’s grasp. The Spain centre-half is attracting interest from Real and Barcelona.
As he crosses off the names on his list, Benitez is being forced to consider lesser lights, such as Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin plus Gary O’Neil, Tuncay and Adam Johnson from relegated Middlesbrough.
They would provide, at affordable prices, the bodies Benitez needs to bolster his squad, but are hardly the major signings he hinted at when he declared his buys this summer had to be “perfect”.
He is not helped by Liverpool’s £359m debts, which allow him just £15m for transfers. He had hoped to boost this by landing Barry for £8m and selling Xabi Alonso for £20m.
City scuppered that and now he faces losing Alonso, unhappy at being touted around for a second summer, with no replacement in the pipeline.
It may only be June 6, but already looks like being a long summer for Benitez
APA PENDAPAT ANDA TENTANG TOPIK INI?: