Liverpool F.c.

[StevieH]

hmm. i wouldn't be averse to lennon to be honest as we still don't have a real ball carrier in the squad. jenas can piss off though.

Spurs offer Lennon in swap deal for Keane

Jenas also bait as Redknapp tries to rebuy Irishman from Liverpool

By Sam Wallace and Ian Herbert

Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Rafael Benitez is weighing up an offer from Tottenham Hotspur of Aaron Lennon or Jermaine Jenas plus cash in exchange for his disaffected striker Robbie Keane. In what would be one of the most remarkable transfers in recent history, Harry Redknapp would be prepared to let one of his two young English players leave in return for bringing Keane back to Spurs.

There are still many variables at play, the most important being whether Keane, 28, wants to move back to the club that he left for a deal worth around £20.3m in the summer. The deal would mean that Liverpool would not have to pay the remaining balance, estimated at £11m, due for Keane in the original transfer. The two clubs first raised the possibility on Monday night.

Keane is in the Liverpool squad for tonight's Premier League game against Wigan Athletic, although Benitez was evasive yesterday when asked whether he believed the Irishman had a future at Anfield. Keane is known to want to stay and fight for his place at the club but increasingly it would appear that Benitez is prepared to use him as a bargaining chip to bolster his squad as the title race warms up.

Redknapp has met with the Lyons striker Fred – short for Frederico Chaves Guedes – but the Brazilian, who is out of contract in the summer, is still only a secondary target after Keane. The 25-year-old has a decent goalscoring record but Keane would be Redknapp's first choice. The deal for Keane would be complicated even if the two clubs can agree on terms. It would rely upon Keane and either Lennon or Jenas being prepared to make the move.

Should Keane have wanted clarification on his future from Benitez, he will have been interested to know that the Liverpool manager was given five opportunities to dismiss any doubt over the striker's future yesterday but opted to leave the issue open-ended.

"Clearly he is our player and in the squad for tomorrow, and that's it," was all Benitez would say. When asked whether he wanted to sell him in this transfer window, Benitez said: "I want to see him scoring goals. I don't need to sell any players. We are in the title race, I want to keep all the players. We don't need to sell anyone."

That contrasted with Benitez's response when Manchester City's new owners' former figurehead, Sulaiman Al-Fahim, listed Fernando Torres among those players Sheikh Mansour al-Nahyan coveted, back in September. Benitez said yesterday: "We have had four or five approaches from different teams for players and the answer's been the same for them all – no. We want all our players. We don't want to sell. Robbie could be one of the ones we had an approach about, I won't say."

Lennon and Jenas had both been acquired by Tottenham on the basis that they fitted the club's former policy of buying young English talent. Lennon was bought from Leeds United by Frank Arnesen when he was the club's director of football for the budget price of £1m. The winger has interested Benitez before and he would be an appealing alternative to Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun on the right wing. Jenas is currently injured.

Keane was stunned to be told that David Ngog, the young French striker who is yet to start a league game, would replace him in the squad for Sunday's FA Cup derby with Everton. But Benitez insisted that he did not see fit to explain his thinking to Keane, one-to-one, at Liverpool's Melwood training ground. "I talk to all the players," Benitez said. "When you sign a player, the price doesn't matter. The main thing is just that they work hard like the rest. It was clear we had Ryan Babel, Dirk Kuyt, Fernando Torres, Gerrard playing as a second striker and also David Ngog, so we had lots of options if we needed to change.

"He [Keane] knows he can play better. Everyone knows he's better than the one we are watching on the pitch sometimes," the Liverpool manager said. "When you sign them you have to give them time. Some take longer than others. Some just need a month, others a year."

Spurs are expected to make a decision today whether to sign the midfielder Stephen Appiah.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/footbal...ne-1517728.html

[StevieH]

<deleted>. that may indeed be that.

[mrtoad]

Looks like a fight for 4th place now.

[samuibeachcomber]

apart from needing new owners(cash wise) i think they need a new manager.back to their old drawing games,poor team selection,and really compared to man u. and chelsea they do not have a quality indepth squad.

[StevieH]

we don't have as good a squad as chelsea and the glams do, but i don't think it would be wise to think about changing the manager just yet, particularly given the state of the club off the field. we're in a rut and don't look to have the know-how to get out of it as we've not been in a real title race before. that said it isn't all doom and gloom, we just need to get off the mat, beat chelsea, win at old trafford and. . .

[samuibeachcomber]

we don't have as good a squad as chelsea and the glams do, but i don't think it would be wise to think about changing the manager just yet, particularly given the state of the club off the field. we're in a rut and don't look to have the know-how to get out of it as we've not been in a real title race before. that said it isn't all doom and gloom, we just need to get off the mat, beat chelsea, win at old trafford and. . .

dont you feel that rafa keps swapping and changing his teams,attacking and defensive line ups,making weird substitutions.For example where was reira,and alonso last night,no kuyt till late on in the game,plus if you want someone to really make a difference you gotta bring them on earlier than 75 mins.Its gonna be too many drawn games again this year if they're not careful.

[StevieH]

we don't have as good a squad as chelsea and the glams do, but i don't think it would be wise to think about changing the manager just yet, particularly given the state of the club off the field. we're in a rut and don't look to have the know-how to get out of it as we've not been in a real title race before. that said it isn't all doom and gloom, we just need to get off the mat, beat chelsea, win at old trafford and. . .

dont you feel that rafa keps swapping and changing his teams,attacking and defensive line ups,making weird substitutions.For example where was reira,and alonso last night,no kuyt till late on in the game,plus if you want someone to really make a difference you gotta bring them on earlier than 75 mins.Its gonna be too many drawn games again this year if they're not careful.

i do think that he makes some streange decisions sometimes but both riera and kuyt have been off the boil lately and kuyt particularly has looked knackered and needed a rest. alonso i'd start every match but rafa seemed to be resting him for chelsea at the weekend. our biggest problem is that the players who come in, babel, keane, benayoun and lucas mainly, are just not good enough and don't pull their weight. united's squad players do.

that said we were one stupid lunge away from a valuable away three points against a decent side.

[rixalex]

we don't have as good a squad as chelsea and the glams do, but i don't think it would be wise to think about changing the manager just yet, particularly given the state of the club off the field. we're in a rut and don't look to have the know-how to get out of it as we've not been in a real title race before. that said it isn't all doom and gloom, we just need to get off the mat, beat chelsea, win at old trafford and. . .

dont you feel that rafa keps swapping and changing his teams,attacking and defensive line ups,making weird substitutions.For example where was reira,and alonso last night,no kuyt till late on in the game,plus if you want someone to really make a difference you gotta bring them on earlier than 75 mins.Its gonna be too many drawn games again this year if they're not careful.

i do think that he makes some streange decisions sometimes but both riera and kuyt have been off the boil lately and kuyt particularly has looked knackered and needed a rest. alonso i'd start every match but rafa seemed to be resting him for chelsea at the weekend. our biggest problem is that the players who come in, babel, keane, benayoun and lucas mainly, are just not good enough and don't pull their weight. united's squad players do.

that said we were one stupid lunge away from a valuable away three points against a decent side.

Torres, Benyayoun and Gerrard were all brought off before the game ended. Now i'm no Liverpool fan, please tell me if i'm wrong, but aren't those players needed for the full 90 when you are only holding a one - nil lead? Last night i thought Benyayoun was having one of his best games in a Liverpool shirt too.

Don't know what you guys see in Rafa...

[samuibeachcomber]

we don't have as good a squad as chelsea and the glams do, but i don't think it would be wise to think about changing the manager just yet, particularly given the state of the club off the field. we're in a rut and don't look to have the know-how to get out of it as we've not been in a real title race before. that said it isn't all doom and gloom, we just need to get off the mat, beat chelsea, win at old trafford and. . .

dont you feel that rafa keps swapping and changing his teams,attacking and defensive line ups,making weird substitutions.For example where was reira,and alonso last night,no kuyt till late on in the game,plus if you want someone to really make a difference you gotta bring them on earlier than 75 mins.Its gonna be too many drawn games again this year if they're not careful.

i do think that he makes some streange decisions sometimes but both riera and kuyt have been off the boil lately and kuyt particularly has looked knackered and needed a rest. alonso i'd start every match but rafa seemed to be resting him for chelsea at the weekend. our biggest problem is that the players who come in, babel, keane, benayoun and lucas mainly, are just not good enough and don't pull their weight. united's squad players do.

that said we were one stupid lunge away from a valuable away three points against a decent side.

Torres, Benyayoun and Gerrard were all brought off before the game ended. Now i'm no Liverpool fan, please tell me if i'm wrong, but aren't those players needed for the full 90 when you are only holding a one - nil lead? Last night i thought Benyayoun was having one of his best games in a Liverpool shirt too.

Don't know what you guys see in Rafa...

totally agree,chopping and changing all the time,rotating for rotatings sake.........proof of the pudding is in the eating...................draw,draw,draw cannot win you a championship.

[MSingh]

we don't have as good a squad as chelsea and the glams do, but i don't think it would be wise to think about changing the manager just yet, particularly given the state of the club off the field. we're in a rut and don't look to have the know-how to get out of it as we've not been in a real title race before. that said it isn't all doom and gloom, we just need to get off the mat, beat chelsea, win at old trafford and. . .

dont you feel that rafa keps swapping and changing his teams,attacking and defensive line ups,making weird substitutions.For example where was reira,and alonso last night,no kuyt till late on in the game,plus if you want someone to really make a difference you gotta bring them on earlier than 75 mins.Its gonna be too many drawn games again this year if they're not careful.

i do think that he makes some streange decisions sometimes but both riera and kuyt have been off the boil lately and kuyt particularly has looked knackered and needed a rest. alonso i'd start every match but rafa seemed to be resting him for chelsea at the weekend. our biggest problem is that the players who come in, babel, keane, benayoun and lucas mainly, are just not good enough and don't pull their weight. united's squad players do.

that said we were one stupid lunge away from a valuable away three points against a decent side.

Torres, Benyayoun and Gerrard were all brought off before the game ended. Now i'm no Liverpool fan, please tell me if i'm wrong, but aren't those players needed for the full 90 when you are only holding a one - nil lead? Last night i thought Benyayoun was having one of his best games in a Liverpool shirt too.

Don't know what you guys see in Rafa...

totally agree,chopping and changing all the time,rotating for rotatings sake.........proof of the pudding is in the eating...................draw,draw,draw cannot win you a championship.

I don't think it's the actual chopping & changing as such, it's the actual personnel that he chops & change that is strange in my book, especially when leading only 1-0 in a Game IE Last night & Everton in the League Game...

Two late equalisers in both of thiose Games & admittedly, there isn't much time left but there isn't the threat to get the winner with that sort of personnel going off..

In my very honest opinion of course...

[StevieH]

taking gerrard off when they'd just equalised last night was bewildering. i'm not going to slag rafa off because he's brought us far more good than bad, but he's not helped himself this season.

[rixalex]

taking gerrard off when they'd just equalised last night was bewildering. i'm not going to slag rafa off because he's brought us far more good than bad, but he's not helped himself this season.

Bewildering indeed. And every time he makes one of these bizarre substitutions, you think it must be part of some complex strategic masterplan that us armchair critics lack the vision to understand... but then, lo and behold, it turns out to be just another crap decision that could have quite likely lost you points.

I understand Liverpool fans feeling a degree of loyalty towards the man, based on some of the good things he has brought to the club, but as an outsider, i myself can't help wondering what more you might have achieved were it not for all his tactical blunders.

Still, don't take my word. I think all the while you stick by Rafa the rest of the Premiership breathes a little easier.

[Devil]

Some good post of late on here at last...

I was really gutted last night and I am still a bit upset as you will read in my post, as I thought we would defiantly get a win and turn it around given our record against Wigan and that they just lost two of their most influential players.

If we are serious about winning the Title then last night was the game to show that. Especially after Man U have thrown down the gauntlet with their recent performance. I just expected a big response from the team. I honestly cant blame Raffas team selection last night, players needed resting that didn't play and considering the amount of games and Chelsea this Sunday I even expected more changes than he actually did.

I don't care if Gerrard and Torres were taken off later as they started the game and I expected we should of gone out flying to win the game and killed of the game first half by 2-3 goals. Maybe if the Torres header didn't hit the post early on? by the looks of things I am sure that was Raffa game plan also, to get the game finished by first half and then take of Torres and Gerrard as soon as he could.We had enough out their attacking wise and quality compared to Wigan.

Obviously Lucas will be on every one's thoughts as to why we lost but he actually played well with some great through balls and good challenges in the middle and made up for his last game inc Benayoun... BUT what a stupid stupid tackle and inexperience definitely showed there! which seems to be our downfall in the latter parts of games of late and our defending from anything thrown in the box. I am just wondering Masch hasn't looked himself also as he used to be like a wall but to many times we look nervous with anyone running at the back four.I remember when we use to hold on to 1-0 leads easily.

Ok so this weekend could really shape out to see who will be the champions this year, its still early in theory but... Chelsea are now back in this race and on a high after their recent win in the league and cup and Man U seem be getting stronger and stronger even with key players missing...

I can only hope that a big game against Chelsea will kick starts us back into action or its bye bye Title challenge.

[StevieH]

Bewildering indeed. And every time he makes one of these bizarre substitutions, you think it must be part of some complex strategic masterplan that us armchair critics lack the vision to understand... but then, lo and behold, it turns out to be just another crap decision that could have quite likely lost you points.

I understand Liverpool fans feeling a degree of loyalty towards the man, based on some of the good things he has brought to the club, but as an outsider, i myself can't help wondering what more you might have achieved were it not for all his tactical blunders.

Still, don't take my word. I think all the while you stick by Rafa the rest of the Premiership breathes a little easier.

well you'd be wrong. we've achieved more under him than most liverpool fans ever expected we would, without even mentioning the tidal wave of <deleted> he's had to put up with from the club owners and the CEO. he's a superb manager but maybe, just possibly, not quite capable of letting players off the leash enough to win the english league title. that doesn't by any stretch of the imagination make him a bad manager.

[StevieH]

I can only hope that a big game against Chelsea will kick starts us back into action or its bye bye Title challenge.

yeah, crunch time. if torres comes to life we can well beat chelsea. if torres is quiet again and the rest of them play with the same lack of belief, we could get a spanking.

[redrus]

I can only hope that a big game against Chelsea will kick starts us back into action or its bye bye Title challenge.

yeah, crunch time. if torres comes to life we can well beat chelsea. if torres is quiet again and the rest of them play with the same lack of belief, we could get a spanking.

Draw all over it I reckon....

redrus

[StevieH]

Draw all over it I reckon....

probably. given our current form.

[Seapok]

Draw all over it I reckon....

probably. given our current form.

I'm hoping for all 3 points....obviously

[rixalex]

well you'd be wrong. we've achieved more under him than most liverpool fans ever expected we would,

You had low expectations then?

[StevieH]

well you'd be wrong. we've achieved more under him than most liverpool fans ever expected we would,

You had low expectations then?

two european cup finals, consistent improvement in the league and an fa cup in his tenure. not bad at all. considerably better than wenger in that time for example. you're a poor fisherman.

[Jimjim]

Not surprised at who gave up the penalty. Lucas makes the worst, horrible tackles at the worst, possible moments. fuc_king a.

[StevieH]

Not surprised at who gave up the penalty. Lucas makes the worst, horrible tackles at the worst, possible moments. fuc_king a.

horribly inexperienced blunder that was. all he had to do was stay on his feet and jockey.

it isn't all over yet but we do need to pull our collective finger out of our arse. seven draws in ten is not good enough.

[Jimjim]

Seven in 10? Didn't realize it was that bad. You're exactly right. Agree completely. One analyst mentioned that a title is more likely to come after a season in which a squad mounts their first serious title challenge, and for this group of players, it is the case that this is their first real title challenge. Time will tell.

[samuibeachcomber]

I think everone's forgetting that Wigan are a very good team,man u. only beat them 1-0.

As regards,Rafa:poor team selection,poor use of substitutes,poor timing and poor purchasing of players.

I believe liverpool are very under strenght when compared to chelsea and man u.they lack alternative players,you cant survive on gerard and torres all the time.but a win on sunday would help,can they do it,yes why not,but i think its a one horse race to the title.

[StevieH]

Seven in 10? Didn't realize it was that bad. You're exactly right. Agree completely. One analyst mentioned that a title is more likely to come after a season in which a squad mounts their first serious title challenge, and for this group of players, it is the case that this is their first real title challenge. Time will tell.

the reason reds fans are so frustrated this season is that we were top for a long time and the mancs and chelsea haven't really been firing. it was / is a great opportunity for us to have a real tilt at it. but we look lacking in belief and we're not gung-ho enough when we should be. i can't see us winning it but stranger things have happened. there's still a way to go.

[Jimjim]

Yes, seven wins out of eight like back in September to November before the Fulham draw started this bad stretch would be welcomed.

As for bad Rafa purchases, how about Fernando Torres? Horrible buy, that was. Also, Alonso and Masch, how stupid can Rafa get? They are <deleted> midfielders. And what a fuc_king horrible Rafa buy we have in goal! Fact is the squad is much stronger than before he got here so how can he have such poor transfers? Just shows how little all those popping in know about Liverpool.

[samuibeachcomber]

Yes, seven wins out of eight like back in September to November before the Fulham draw started this bad stretch would be welcomed.

As for bad Rafa purchases, how about Fernando Torres? Horrible buy, that was. Also, Alonso and Masch, how stupid can Rafa get? They are <deleted> midfielders. And what a fuc_king horrible Rafa buy we have in goal! Fact is the squad is much stronger than before he got here so how can he have such poor transfers? Just shows how little all those popping in know about Liverpool.

I bow to your superior knowledge,so how about ngog,dossena,two i can think of straight away,and are they understrenght?I think so they need a decent striker that can work with torres,and a couple of decent wing backs

[Jimjim]

What's wrong with Ngog? He's a project, a youngster, could be good or bad in the future. Too soon to tell. Dossena has not been good, but his last performance was solid, but the point is every manager makes good and bad buys and when everyone talks about Rafa's "poor" buys they conveniently ignore all the fantastic buys he has made. We have the best striker in the world now, but yes, Rafa's buys have been <deleted>!

Oh, and decent wingbacks? Aurelio and Arbeloa are decent wingbacks, thanks.

Edited January 30, 2009 by Jimjim

[StevieH]

nothing wrong with ngog for a million quid, that's buttons. dossena's definitely a good player but may be in the wrong country, he may be better suited to spain or italy. keane's rafa's first real, major high profile transfer fuc_k up i think. otherwise when he's been backed with proper money he's generally come through. reina, alonso, garcia, mascherano, riera, agger, skrtel, torres, kuyt all really successful and important signings. babel's a mystery like.

[StevieH]

I bow to your superior knowledge,so how about ngog,dossena,two i can think of straight away,and are they understrenght?I think so they need a decent striker that can work with torres,and a couple of decent wing backs

torres already has the best available strike partner in steven gerrard. what's needed is an alternative lone front man to torres since we play best in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

top class fullbacks are hard to find. bosingwa cost 18.5m GBP and has hardly set the world on fire.