Liverpool Signings and General Rumours Thread

The Rooster

I dont think Owen and Cisse would work as a partnership at all.

If he did come it'd be one of Cisse/Owen alongside one of Moro/Crouch IMO.

tel922001

Figo Fails To Agree Terms With Inter
8/3/2005 3:14:00 AM
Luis Figo has failed to agree personal terms with Internazionale after travelling to Milan in a bid to organise a transfer from Real Madrid.
With the Spanish club’s blessing, the Portuguese international went to Italy with his advisers as he sought to move along a switch to Roberto Mancini’s side.

But he returned empty handed after the two sides failed to bridge the gap over the wages that Inter were prepared to pay and those that Figo was demanding.

The former Barcelona star will not join up with the Madrid squad at their training camp in Austria and wait for further news from Milan.

A move wll have to completed in the next 48 hours if Figo wants to play in Europe for Inter as the club are set to register 25 players for the Champions League on August 4.

Figo was said to be keen on a move to Liverpool, but the deal was scuppered when Madrid refused to allow him to join the Reds on a free transfer and instead slapped a €3million price tag on his head.

There is also reports in Spain that Valencia could make a renewed effort to sign the 32-year-old, but they too have been put off thanks to the transfer fee and salary demands.

"We do not think that chasing Figo at the moment is necessary because the price is so high," said Valencia president Juan Bautista Soler.

"But if the coaching staff really want him and the price is lowered slightly then we could talk."

tel922001

Pretty good read , alot of good points he states , on the owen issue



3 August: Owen: A Luxury We Cannot Afford by Gerry
Job done. Our 2-0 victory over Kaunas was a bit of a dull affair but the result was never in any doubt as we had done all the work in the first leg and this was one of those games that we just wanted to get out of the way. The players didn’t really lift themselves and hardly broke sweat throughout but it was still a useful exercise and it gave us another chance to see some of the new additions. The delivery into Crouch wasn’t great but he did the best he could with what he was given. Sissoko looks useful and certainly puts himself about but still may be a little raw. Zenden’s delivery from the left was pretty poor throughout but he still looks like he’s going to be a threat for us this season. Whitbread is getting better every time I see him and Warnock did well as usual but needs to work a bit on his distribution.

Once again it was Gerrard coming on as a second half substitute that changed the whole complexion of the game. The crowd always seems to lift themselves when he runs onto the pitch and it seems he also has a positive effect on the players. The play had a lot more purpose about it with him directing things and as well as scoring yet another goal himself, he also had a hand in Cisse getting on the score sheet for the second. I think its worth saying a big well done to the club for only charging £10 for tickets to the game, this provided very good value for the fans and ensured a full house.

From the Rafalution perspective there was a couple of things worth noting about tonights game. The first is that our starting line-up only included three players that started the Champions League final, which just goes to show the amount of depth that Rafa has brought to the squad. The second was our starting formation of 4-2-3-1. This seems to be the formation Rafa is most comfortable with having used it a lot at Valencia and he also used it in our game against Arsenal last season when Mellor scored the last minute winner. Unfortunately Alonso’s injury then prevented him from using it again for the rest of the season. I’ll come back to this point later but I mention it because it leads me to my fellow bloggers bring back Owen blog. As usual Andy makes some good points and as usual I totally disagree with him and think that bringing Owen back would be a mistake and a backward step for the team.

Firstly I should say that I think Owen was a great servant to the club for the nearly eight years he was here and his record of 158 goals in 298 games speaks for itself and among them who will ever forget his goals that won us the 2001 FA cup final? But equally we shouldn’t forget the way he left us. After nearly a year of his delaying signing a new contract under Houllier, Rafa arrived at the club and tried to persuade him to stay. We badly needed him then and he could have signed a contract extension and stayed for another year to see how things went under the new manager as Gerrard did but instead of this he left us on the eve of the season. We got badly screwed on the deal receiving only £8million for a player who was worth at least double that and Owen rubbed salt into our wounds by arriving at Real and proclaiming them the best team in the world. That’s all in the past now and the club has moved on successfully even if he hasn’t and who among us didn‘t have a little snigger in his direction when we went on to become European Champions while he was left warming the bench at Real?

So what’s changed in the last 12 months that would suddenly make Owen want to re-sign with us? Is it that he’s realised he’s made a mistake and wants to come because he’s loves the club so much and wants to be a part of the Rafalution? No, its purely because he’s worried about his World Cup place and as Real have just added to their menagerie of strikers by signing Robinho and Baptista to their ranks he will now be lucky to even get a place on their bench. I don’t want to see our club used merely as a platform for Owen to further his international career. Nor do I want to see us in the embarrassing situation of having to pay Real an estimated £12 million for a player they stole from us for £8 million only a year ago. Any money we have left in the transfer kitty needs to be spent where its needed most, on the right of midfield and the centre of our defense not on a welcome home party for Owen.

It makes no footballing or financial sense for us to sign Owen and I don’t believe Rafa is playing games when he says he isn’t interested in signing him. Owen as a finisher is second to none but in order to get the 20+ goals a season from him you’ve got to tailor you’re team to his strengths. Houllier did and Owen delivered but the result of that was we got precious few goals from other areas. Look at how much Gerrards game has developed now that he no longer has to try to thread every ball into the path of Owen. I think our forward line is healthy enough as it is and provides us with enough variety to cover every situation. Morientes has the class and experience at the highest level, Cisse has the pace and power and Crouch has the aerial ability as well the educated feet necessary to hold up the play for the midfield to join the attack and all of them contribute more in the build up and general play then we could expect from Owen. As well as these guys we’ve also got a rough diamond in Pongo and in Mellor we’ve got an old school goal poacher in the making. All of this gives us more then enough cover in the forward area especially as I would expect that in many of the big games I believe Rafa will play his 4-2-3-1 formation I mentioned earlier and in the centre of the 3 will be Gerrard so that leaves room for only one striker.

Some may argue that our strikers are unproven and may not provide us with the 20+ goals a season required from at least one striker if a team is to challenge in the Premiership. I don’t think this need necessarily be the case we have plenty of forwards and midfielders capable of scoring and if the goals are spread among them we should be ok and remember chelski didn’t have a striker that scored 20 goals for them last season and they did alright. So I think we should thank Owen for the memories and leave him where he is. The situation he finds himself in is of his own making but I guess that’s the chance you take when you sign for “the best team in the world.”

Drag00n79

The Liverpool Echo today saying that reports about Liverpool in talks with Owen are false.

LIVERPOOL are not in talks with Michael Owen - despite reports suggesting otherwise. Speculation linking the Real Madrid striker with a return to Anfield has surfaced in recent days as Owen looks to secure a move back to the Premiership.

But Rafa Benitez insisted last week he is more interested in signing a centre back than a centre forward and club sources today indicated that situation has not changed.

Back-up for Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher remains the Reds boss' priority and Benitez is looking to bring in a defensive reinforcement as soon as possible.

Necronomicon

tel922001 wrote:

Figo Fails To Agree Terms With Inter
8/3/2005 3:14:00 AM
Luis Figo has failed to agree personal terms with Internazionale after travelling to Milan in a bid to organise a transfer from Real Madrid.
With the Spanish club’s blessing, the Portuguese international went to Italy with his advisers as he sought to move along a switch to Roberto Mancini’s side.

But he returned empty handed after the two sides failed to bridge the gap over the wages that Inter were prepared to pay and those that Figo was demanding.

The former Barcelona star will not join up with the Madrid squad at their training camp in Austria and wait for further news from Milan.

A move wll have to completed in the next 48 hours if Figo wants to play in Europe for Inter as the club are set to register 25 players for the Champions League on August 4.

Figo was said to be keen on a move to Liverpool, but the deal was scuppered when Madrid refused to allow him to join the Reds on a free transfer and instead slapped a €3million price tag on his head.

There is also reports in Spain that Valencia could make a renewed effort to sign the 32-year-old, but they too have been put off thanks to the transfer fee and salary demands.

"We do not think that chasing Figo at the moment is necessary because the price is so high," said Valencia president Juan Bautista Soler.

"But if the coaching staff really want him and the price is lowered slightly then we could talk."

That's interesting. I wonder would Liverpool be willing to pay his wages if they think they could snatch him.
Was there any figure on what his demands were?

Drag00n79

That's yesterday's story I think.

mike65

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/4744731.stm

Liverpool may still rescue Owen
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Liverpool may launch a shock move to bring former striker Michael Owen back to Anfield after he admitted interest from Premiership clubs.

Owen may leave Real Madrid in an £11m deal after the Spanish giants signed Robinho and Julio Baptista.

Liverpool had been eliminated from the race for the 25-year-old after paying £7m to sign Southampton's Peter Crouch.

But BBC Sport understands the Reds have not ruled out a deal that would see Owen return after a year in Spain.

It had been thought boss Rafael Benitez had been reluctant to bring Owen back to Anfield, only 12 months after he left in an £8m transfer before playing a competitive game for the Spaniard.


For Owen to work every day with Wayne Rooney can only make England better

England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson
Eriksson says Man Utd suit Owen

And it is believed several pieces of the Benitez jigsaw would still have to fall into place before the possibility of a dramatic Owen return could become reality.

Benitez's current top priority is a central defender, with Birmingham's Matthew Upson and Deportivo La Coruna's Jorge Andrade on his hit-list.

And Liverpool would then need the cash to finance any Owen deal - with much depending on raking in £7m for Milan Baros and how much they would have to pay for their top defensive target.

But Liverpool are confident of getting their asking price for the 23-year-old Czech striker, who is surplus to requirements.

Everton have not come back to Liverpool with a bid after making an initial inquiry, while Aston Villa have so far refused to go above £6m.

But BBC Sport can reveal Monaco have now entered the race for Baros, and former boss Gerard Houllier retains an interest in taking him to Lyon.


Owen has been linked with Manchester United and Newcastle, with Liverpool very much regarded as the outsiders.

But United have cooled and Owen will show no interest in Newcastle after they were knocked out of the Intertoto Cup by Deportivo La Coruna.

It is understood Owen would jump at the chance to play for Liverpool again, and while it is still regarded as a long shot inside Anfield, the Merseysiders have not - despite suggestions to the contrary - ruled it out.

and

from ITV

Houllier could move for Owen
FRANCE Ligue 1, Thursday August 04 2005
Gerard Houllier could be set to bring his former Liverpool protigi Michael Owen to Lyon as the striker ponders a move away from Real Madrid.


The arrival of Brazilian signings Julio Baptista and Robinho in Madrid has seen the England international drop down the pecking order at the Bernabeu, but he could be recruited by his former boss as Lyon look to win a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title in their first season under Houllier.

However, with Norwegian star John Carew and former Arsenal striker Sylvain Wiltord already in Houllier's squad, there may not be room for the 25-year-old.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas told the club's official website: "I would be very happy if he (Owen) could come because he would help the club develop and would help us get even better results.

"Lyon has the ability to finance big deals but does Gerard need him? That's not sure either."

Mike.

el rabitos

i still maintain my vow to eat my shoe if owen arrives

tel922001

Necromomicon wrote:

That's interesting. I wonder would Liverpool be willing to pay his wages if they think they could snatch him.
Was there any figure on what his demands were?

as far as i know figo is on around 120k a week at real, and liverpool said they would pay 60k a week for figo on a one year rolling deal, im pretty sure inter are somewhere in between those 2 figures ,

~Rebel~

Figo had agreed terms with liverpool already so wages shouldn't be aproblem if he was to come i dont think..

Necronomicon

mike65 wrote:

Houllier could move for Owen
FRANCE Ligue 1, Thursday August 04 2005
Gerard Houllier could be set to bring his former Liverpool protigi Michael Owen to Lyon as the striker ponders a move away from Real Madrid.


The arrival of Brazilian signings Julio Baptista and Robinho in Madrid has seen the England international drop down the pecking order at the Bernabeu, but he could be recruited by his former boss as Lyon look to win a fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title in their first season under Houllier.

However, with Norwegian star John Carew and former Arsenal striker Sylvain Wiltord already in Houllier's squad, there may not be room for the 25-year-old.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas told the club's official website: "I would be very happy if he (Owen) could come because he would help the club develop and would help us get even better results.

"Lyon has the ability to finance big deals but does Gerard need him? That's not sure either."


Mike.

I couldn't see him moving to another foreign country, especially to a lesser league when there's clearly interest from the Premiership.

tel922001

~Rebel~ wrote:

Figo had agreed terms with liverpool already so wages shouldn't be aproblem if he was to come i dont think..

im still hopin liverpool can pull the deal off, but have real scrapped the €3million price for liverpool to buy?

Drag00n79

Figo will be presented to the media in a no.7 Inter jersey on Saturday, according to reports. He will be living in Via della Spiga — the most exclusive area of the city. I hope his wife is happy!

~Rebel~

Shamrok wrote:

Figo will be presented to the media in a no.7 Inter jersey on Saturday, according to reports. He will be living in Via della Spiga — the most exclusive area of the city. I hope his wife is happy!

*sigh* damn woman.

Daemonic

Now that Figo is going to Inter, any opinions or ideas on who Rafa should try and sign for the right side of midfield. Anyone think its worth trying to convert Sinama-Pongolle to this position?

mayordenis

i still dont agree that right side is a huge problem defense most come first, we have plenty of fill-in possibilities at right-wing.

yom 1

Daemonic wrote:

Now that Figo is going to Inter, any opinions or ideas on who Rafa should try and sign for the right side of midfield. Anyone think its worth trying to convert Sinama-Pongolle to this position?

thats his best position imo
he has bags of pace and trickery to be beat defenders

~Rebel~

Well he has shown a interest in Galetti, but that look to have been scuppered by the lack of a deal with milito.

Also linked with Steed Malranque which wouldn't be bad.

What i really want is Boa Morte though. Anyone think he could fit in on the right? Have seen him attacking from both sides for Fulham but this oculd have just been due to the free(ish) role he was allowed. Dunno if he'd be happy having to stick out there. Absolutely qualiy player!

Wonder if theres any chance of some sort of wonderdeal for Juaquin seeing as he hasn't moved. we do have the old spanish link but money would prob put him out of the question.

We were also linked with Juanfran from Real, but they said not a chance i think. Maybe if they bought Juaquin it would leave juanfran out in the cold so he could come, but i doubt it after buying Baptista and Roninho.

Giannakopolous might also still be on the cards but i dont think i want him..he's good and everything but a little old (31 i think)..

~Rebel~

Just heard on TodayFM news/sport that Villa are making a7 - 7.5M bid for Baros.
Apparantly according to Skysports he fancies a move to Monaco himself, but Monaco fear Villa can outbid them. Bidding War = Money for pool. If he leaves i expect a return of owen as rafa has said the right and defence will be shored up regardless of anyone else leaving.

Monaco fear Aston Villa are leading the race to sign Liverpool's unsettled striker Milan Baros.

The Principality outfit are very keen to sign the Czech Republic international but fear they will lose a bidding war with Premiership clubs.

Everton and West Ham are also interested in Baros but sources claim Villa are in prime position to agree a deal with Liverpool.

The offer from Monaco is believed to be in the region of €8.5 million (around £5.9 million) while David O'Leary is said to be prepared to splash out up to €10 million (around £7 million) for the Euro 2004 hero.

Meanwhile, ASM coach Didier Deschamps admits he is disappointed to lose captain Julien Rodriguez to Rangers.

The deal was secured ahead of the latest UEFA Champions League deadline on Thursday but Deschamps is unhappy with his skipper's decision to head for Ibrox.

"His departure does not come at the best moment," stated Deschamps. "But when a player doesn't want to hear anything and doesn't want to play.

"There was that important financial opportunity at this moment of his career and he will find his friend Dado Prso again.

"The players think about this and it is logical."

Shred

Gonzales has been refused a work permit !

RAFA SHOCKED BY GONZALEZ SNUB

Rafael Benitez has expressed his surprise and disappointment at the decision by the Department of Education and Employment to deny Liverpool a work permit for Chile winger Mark Gonzalez.
The Reds attended a hearing in London on Thursday to argue their case for granting Gonzalez a permit but were shocked when a panel of judges refused them.

The ruling clearly upset Benitez who argued that Gonzalez is not only the best player in Chile but was also one of the most exciting players in Spain last season.

"He's a player we have scouted for over six months," Benitez told liverpoolfc.tv. "I can tell the Liverpool fans who don't know too much about him that he's a player with lots and lots of ability. He's very fast, he's good in the air, he's good at crosses and he can score goals. In fact, he's the best player in Chile. We have had reports on the player from our own scouts, professional players, former players and other managers and they all say the same - that he is a very good player for now and even better for the future. We haven't been awarded a work permit though and I was very surprised to say the least.

"We must now wait because one of the problems is that his national team are not ranked in FIFA's Top 70 [they are currently 72nd]. If they win a couple of games, maybe they will move up the FIFA rankings and things may change.

"Gonzalez is already a player who will shine in the Premiership but very soon he could be one of the most exciting players in England. Liverpool supporters love to see players who can lift them out of their seats and Gonzalez is exactly that sort of player. You saw the reaction when Djibril Cisse came on against Kaunas on Wednesday. The fans were jumping up and cheering when Cisse raced down the wing. With Gonzalez, the fans would be out of their seats the whole time because he can play like Cisse but on the wing."

Benitez had agreed a loan deal for the Chile international from Spanish side Albacete earlier in the summer with a view to a permanent move but now the Kop must wait to see the player who was expected to complete his recovery from a cruciate ligament injury in late September.

For Benitez, Gonzalez and Liverpool supporters, Chile's next match away to Brazil in September has taken on extra significance.

mike65

http://www.expressandstar.com/articles/sport/villa/article_78594.php

Villa have seen off Everton to remain in pole position for Milan Baros – but they may have to wait for Liverpool to offload Fernando Morientes first.

Operations director Steve Stride has a £6m “take it or leave it” offer on the table for Baros and he remains their only target, despite reports linking Villa to Manchester United striker Louis Saha.

But it has emerged the Anfield club now want to sell Morientes too, possibly to raise funds to finance a return for Real Madrid’s Michael Owen.

Merseyside sources confirmed one striker will definitely leave Anfield “in the next 24 hours”, despite Peter Crouch’s injury which will keep the former Villa striker out for two to three weeks.

Now it remains to be seen whether Baros or Morientes leave first, although Villa aren’t anticipating any further developments until the weekend.

A Villa spokesman said: “Our interest in Baros continues and we’re pursuing dialogue with Liverpool.”

Mike.

Drag00n79

First I've heard of Morientes being offloaded. A move back to France this time to Lyon, maybe?

~Rebel~

Christ that Morientes thing came out of nowhere!! I know he's been underperforming but he's Fernando Morientes!..must say im pretty shocked by that one. Id imagine there'd be absolutely no hassle finding a buyer for him, particularly from france. Actually just thinking about it, perhaps Monaco decided Villa would outbid them for Baros and said right we'll have El Moro back for 6mill. would be a great bid of busienss for them seeing as he's proven his worth there.

If Morientes were to leave id like to see us hang onto Baros cause well, Owen would be guaranteed to get injured leaving us with Crouch and Cisse up front. Crouch was meant to be another option, not the only option..

isn't Morientes cup-ties though?? Def played against TNS.

That whole Gonzalez thing sucks big time too, was really looking forward to seeing him in action.

Drag00n79

Can't see anything anywhere else about that Morientes angle. Might be nothing.

mike65

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/0100news/tm_objectid=15824450&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=reds-fan-killed-by--anfield--name_page.html



Mike.

Necronomicon

I wonder if Rafa's priorities will change now that they seem to have lost Gonzalez.

Space Coyote

Chile need to be in the top 70 FIFA ranked countries for Gonzales to get a work permit. They're currently 72nd ! What a pain in the @rse.

Shred

Well all is not lost with Gonzales as his permit may be approved pending Chile's next results, he wasn't going to be able to play for Liverpool until about October anyway due to injury. It's still a load of shít anyway :mad: I really can't see there being any substance to the Morientes story either due to him being cup tied (as mentioned above). Plus Benitez has been talking him up an awful lot too, but I s'pose you could look at that as touting him too We'll jst have to wait and see.

Villain

There is also something about him having to a top earner at the club to get a work permit?

el rabitos

Morientes is rafa's golden boy, he wont be going anywhere untill at least this time next year, and only if he has a disasterous season.

the thought of selling him to re-sign owen is a joke tbh

owen wanted out, he got his wish and its his problem now. he can be the top scoring sub for the rest of his carreer. hey man utd need a new solskaer type super sub, let him go there.

galwaydude

Thats disgracefull about gonzalez, i would say once he is back playing in october /november then he will get the work permit. How can the fact that chile arent in the top 70 teams ihe worls when portsmouth got their zambian striker on apeal and so did so many other clubs.Hope hes not snapped up by someone now.

Also i read on the liverpool site that if baros is sold then owen is very much in the running as Utd have cooled their interest and that leaves newcastle and Lyon. Emmmm tough decision liverpool or newcastle lol

mike65

I'd love to know why world ranking matters for a work permit!

Word has it Glaser said they could'nt spend the money on Owen but thats proberly just a malicious jibe!

Mike.

Shred

Here's Benitez talking up Nando yet again, he's going nowhere:

BOSS: NANDO WILL GET BETTER

Rafael Benitez has backed Fernando Morientes to rediscover his best goalscoring form for the Reds this season.
Morientes has bagged just three Premiership goals for the Reds so far following his move from Real Madrid in January.

But Benitez is confident his £6 million striker will silence his critics over the coming weeks and start scoring on a regular basis.

The Liverpool manager said: "I believe Morientes will improve. Sometimes he has done okay when he has played and other times he might have done better, but he will get better.

"We know that Morientes is a good player and we know what he can bring to our team. We should see that very soon."

Benitez, meanwhile, is currently preparing his team for next week's Champions League qualifier in Bulgaria where the Reds will face CSKA Sofia.

"I have videos of them to watch and my scouts have seen them play," he added. "They told me that they are a good side who like to keep the ball.

"I expect them to be a more difficult challenge for us than Kaunas or TNS but we know what we have to do."

el rabitos

rafa would sell half the squad before selling morientes, he's the spanish golden boy at the club

p.pete

el rabitos wrote:

rafa would sell half the squad before selling morientes, he's the spanish golden boy at the club

Is that not Alonso?

woodyg

Alonso is definitly the Golden Boy!

I think it would be very unwise of liverpool not to take the option up of getting Owen back.

If he gos to one of our rivals it would be serouisly bad for us.
i now alot of people dont want him back but i now every single fan doesnt want him at Man U or Newcastle.
His goals would push both those clubs above us which is not what we want!

Baros out Owen in

stevoslice

from liverpoolfc.tv:-

Jerzy Dudek was today rushed to hospital after suffering a painful injury in a training ground incident at Melwood.
Clubs officials fear Dudek could have dislocated his elbow after falling awkwardly while being put through his paces alongside fellow goalkeeper's Pepe Reina and Scott Carson.

He was immediately treated at the scene by the club's medical staff before being led away from the pitch holding his right arm.

The big Pole will undergo x-rays at a local hospital and more news is expected later.

looks like he may have to stick around till january!!!

galwaydude

Milan Baros and Antonio Barragan have both been called up to the Liverpool squad for Wednesday's Champions League qualifier in Sofia but Bolo Zenden has been ruled out of the trip through injury.
The Reds will travel to the Bulgarian capital on Tuesday morning in preparation for the third qualifying round first leg tie against CSKA.

Rafael Benitez confirmed today that Baros, who has been strongly linked with a move away from Anfield all summer and is yet to figure in European competition this season, will be part of the travelling party, as will highly-rated Spanish full-back Barragan - a recent signing from Seville.

Zenden, meanwhile, will stay behind at Melwood where he'll undergo treatment on a thigh injury he picked up in training. The injury is not thought to be serious and Benitez fully expects the Dutch international to be available for selection for Saturday's Premiership opener at Middlesbrough.

Benitez said: "Zenden won't travel to Sofia as he has a problem with his thigh but I think he will be fine for the Middlesbrough game.

"Baros is in the squad and at this moment he is our player. There has been rumours about his future and we have had some offers for him which have not been good enough in our opinion."

interesting to see what Antonio Barragan is like.

~Rebel~

Very interestingly this is just new on liverpoolfc.tv as well

Milan Baros and Antonio Barragan have both been called up to the Liverpool squad for Wednesday's Champions League qualifier in Sofia but Bolo Zenden has been ruled out of the trip through injury.
The Reds will travel to the Bulgarian capital on Tuesday morning in preparation for the third qualifying round first leg tie against CSKA.

Rafael Benitez confirmed today that Baros, who has been strongly linked with a move away from Anfield all summer and is yet to figure in European competition this season, will be part of the travelling party, as will highly-rated Spanish full-back Barragan - a recent signing from Seville.

Zenden, meanwhile, will stay behind at Melwood where he'll undergo treatment on a thigh injury he picked up in training. The injury is not thought to be serious and Benitez fully expects the Dutch international to be available for selection for Saturday's Premiership opener at Middlesbrough.

Benitez said: "Zenden won't travel to Sofia as he has a problem with his thigh but I think he will be fine for the Middlesbrough game.

"Baros is in the squad and at this moment he is our player. There has been rumours about his future and we have had some offers for him which have not been good enough in our opinion."

Just a theory, but maybe there were potential plans to sell both dudek and baros to raise enough money between them for a move on owen.. Now that Dudek pretty much def won't be leaving, the funds raised from baros wouldn't be enough to make a bid for anyone big considering we still need a quality center back, so Baros will be sticking around.

Just a hunch, still dont expect Baros to play, could well just be a warning to potential suitors to get their a$$'s into gear.

mike65

thebhoy wrote:

from liverpoolfc.tv:-

Jerzy Dudek was today rushed to hospital after suffering a painful injury in a training ground incident at Melwood../

looks like he may have to stick around till january!!!

Cunning bugger! Now he can hope for a goalkeeping drama with Reina or Carson and get some games. If I were either of the other two I'd be very carefull round him

Mike.

galwaydude

what happens if carson or reina get injured now, can we call back kirkland then?

el rabitos

seems like the only thing consistant about liverpool under rafa so far is the constant flow of injurys

galwaydude

how is it rafa's fault that dudek injured his elbow.Rafa didnt exactly go up and dislocate dudek's elbow did he!!!!!

jesus_thats_gre

he was being sarcastic...

galwaydude

i know!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guy:Incognito

galwaydude wrote:

how is it rafa's fault that dudek injured his elbow.Rafa didnt exactly go up and dislocate dudek's elbow did he!!!!!

Maybe he did, might have just lost the rag and gave him a rock bottom.

jesus_thats_gre

Stekelly wrote:

Maybe he did, might have just lost the rag and gave him a rock bottom.

best post on the soccer board ever...

~Rebel~

Interesting one here, though no particularly reputable papers involved so could just be lies, lies, Lies!

from; http://www.football365.com/teams/liverpool/story_159209.shtml

Michael Owen could return to Liverpool after the Anfield board reportedly persuaded Rafael Benitez to do a u-turn on the England striker.

Benitez initially dismissed a move for Owen, but now the Daily Mirror say that the Spaniard will consider a deal if it's at the right price.

He has repeatedly said that he is looking for a centre-half rather than a centre-forward after spending £7m on Peter Crouch, but could now rush through an exit for Milan Baros to create space for Owen.

Real Madrid have had to lower their valuation after they had no takers at £16m and on Monday claimed that Newcastle and Manchester United had shown an interest.

Toon chairman Freddy Shepherd admitted they were interested, but Owen is said to have turned down a move to the north-east because they are not in the Champions League this season.

There was an official denial of contact from Old Trafford but The Sun claims that Sir Alex Ferguson does in fact retain an interest in Owen.

galwaydude

its in the gossip section on the bbc website.

also on the liverpool website as the paper section then again the mirror are printing it so has to be lies!!!!

galwaydude

A fuming Rafa Benitez has insisted Mark Gonzalez should be allowed to play in The Premiership, while the Chilean still believes his Liverpool dream will come true.

21-year-old winger Gonzalez saw his dreams of playing for the European champions dashed when he was refused a work permit.

Benitez is still furious with the decision and insists the judges who enforced the rule know nothing about football.

The Spanish coach claims that Gonzalez, who is recovering from a knee injury, is easily good enough to play in England.

"He is playing for his national team, playing to a good level in the Spanish League against good players. But they say he is not good enough for the Premiership," said Benitez.

"You couldn't say that if you had seen him play.

"We spent six months scouting him. We are the Champions League winners and, if we think he's a good player and will improve our team, it's because we have been watching him for a long time.

"Only if you know nothing about football could you say he is not good enough for the Premier League.

"In Chile, they have sold about 1,000 Liverpool shirts - that's how important a player he is over there. Gonzalez is upset as well - he was about one month away from being fit.

"I tell you 50 percent of the players in the Premier League are worse than him.

"We will keep an interest in him and, hopefully, Chile will win some more games.

"Then we do not have to talk to people outside football over the quality of the player."

Albacete man Gonzalez is still hoping he will be able to pull on a red shirt in the future.

"I know that sooner or later I will be playing at Liverpool," said Gonzalez.

"I am sure this will be resolved. I am staying calm about this. It was something we feared."