Premier League - Benitez denies rift with Americans

Eurosport - Tue, 13 Jan 16:17:00 2009

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has rejected reports of fresh conflict with the club's American owners over his role at the club.

FOOTBALL Rafa Benitez Liverpool manager - 0

Reports in the national press on Tuesday morning suggested Benitez's contract talks were in danger of collapse because of the Spaniard's apparent demand to have total control of Liverpool's transfer policy.

Benitez found himself in a power struggle with American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillet last season over his future, but he insists there is no trouble on the horizon with the pair.

"My agent only received the draft document of my contract on Monday evening so my surprise is that some journalists can talk about there being problems before I have even read it properly and discussed it," Benitez told the Liverpool Echo.

"We have agreed the length of contract and we have agreed the salary. Now we have to discuss my role and my responsibilities as manager of the club.

"But we haven't had the opportunity to do that yet.

"Someone has information and clearly wants to create a mess, but I haven't discussed anything yet because, as I say, the contract only arrived on Monday night.

"I don't have any problems at all with the American owners."

The Reds chief also rejected rumours that he was set to go head-to-head with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson again for the signing of Brazilian defender Anderson.

Both Liverpool and United have been credited with an interest in the Fluminense ace, but Benitez has denied Anderson is on his list of transfer targets.

"That is not true," added Benitez. "We are not trying to sign that player."

Team Talk / Eurosport

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  1. Micheal great to see an old supporter talking some sense about liverpool the problem today is half the supporters of a lot of clubs are the same I can remember stevie highway (liverpool) george Best {Man utd) and the rest of the old boys unfortunately the supporters of today are very fickle and half don't really know the game of football!!

    From tippersbob, on Mon 19 Jan 7:52PM

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    From , on Wed 14 Jan 6:59PM

  3. who gives a @#$% about the scum, ull never win the title ur to weak losers

    From Taffy G, on Wed 14 Jan 6:31PM

  4. Yeah, why do you do what Spurs did, hire a world known manager and looked what happened... one trophy then walked out with leg between his legs. Putting things together to make it work is harder than most think. Most people take things for granted until it's gone and realised what they had was much better. Better top 4 than bottom 4, never know if the next manager will be better than the last, probability is higher to make things wrong than right. If he's improving, why not let him improve? Isn't that what we all strive for?

    From First L, on Wed 14 Jan 1:49PM

  5. comment 22 my glasses are not red tinted they are clear i speak the truth

    From Luke W, on Wed 14 Jan 11:08AM

  6. Post 21 Luke W
    A strong case for euthanasia........

    From Nicholas, on Wed 14 Jan 9:54AM

  7. Post 24 Michael
    The voice of reason........

    From Nicholas, on Wed 14 Jan 9:52AM

  8. "thanks" is for invalidating my first comment witch it did not breach any rules

    From khalidallaoui, on Wed 14 Jan 9:04AM

  9. You all make me laugh!! Get a grip!!

    From steven, on Wed 14 Jan 9:04AM

  10. thanks for "free speech"and keep up the"good"work dear

    From khalidallaoui, on Wed 14 Jan 8:42AM

  11. I hate the amount of benitez bashing going on. We're in our best league position for years (who of you liverpool whingers actually remember the houlier years or even roy evans? souness?). Been a fan for 30 years now so I've seen the ups and downs.

    Occasionally he makes mistakes or wierd subs. But honestly, those of you crying get rid of him, how many of you actually think torres, alonso, agger, reina, skertel,mascherano, reira, arbeola, lucas, insua would stay if he was sacked? Probably none, and i think gerrard would loose motivation, carragher dwindle and die from pain.

    Get a grip and get behind your team and push them home and stop being princesses and little nancy boys. Go drink a bucket of concrete and harden the @#%$ up.

    Go rafa, bring us a trophy or two or maybe the premiership, i don't always agree with you but i always support you.
    YNWA

    From michael, on Wed 14 Jan 7:30AM

  12. comment 22 ; you don't support EPL then What the F**k are you commenting about an english team. you idiot..moron..

    From monkeysterunited, on Wed 14 Jan 5:58AM

  13. Give benitez a contract for life!! Liverpoo will never win the league with him. Some real quaility mixed with poor players torres & gerrard are wasted at liverpool. I dont support any epl team and i only hate liverpool same every year most unrealistic fans in the world cant wait till may when u win @#$% all and i can say told u so to all you scouse smackhead mugs

    From Luke W, on Wed 14 Jan 2:46AM

  14. Liverpool are leading the premiership and into the last 16 of the Champions league
    having qualified top of the group.But I think all you Liverpool supporters are right
    let's get rid of Rafa Benitez and then things can improve..........

    From Nicholas, on Wed 14 Jan 1:07AM

  15. RE: 17. I agree entirely! Put a monkey there as manager and Liverpool will still be where they are now. The only good thing Rafa did this season is to stop his infamous rotation of players and this is something we have been telling him to do all these years. Look at his selection of players and one can judge his knowledge of soccer. Lucas? Dossena? The only other player he bought of calibre is Reira and I thought it was a fluke (buy sufficient players and one of them is bound to perform). Rafa has got to go before Liverpool are able to win the premiership.

    From GI Joe 323, on Wed 14 Jan 12:49AM

  16. i think u will find that u r wrong its alonso we miss more at the mo.look at the 2nd half when we played preston liverpool were a different side without him and again at the wkend.anyway there's still a very long way 2 go b4 any1 wins the title

    From del boy, on Tue 13 Jan 11:06PM

  17. comment 13 iam liverpool fan ok. i do not take away anything benittes did for us
    ok he took us from nowhere but that far he can take us,i want more,PREMIER,
    he started to tinker again.
    i do not trust him,god help me if gets us the premier,he is going to fuuuuck it up

    From iderf, on Tue 13 Jan 11:04PM

  18. Andrew L if you think Rafa will win the premier league,it is you who is the c ock. The reason Liverpool are where they are now is down to Gerrard and Carragher,take them out of the side and were woul dwe be? How many more times can Gerrard save the team? if he does not play expectional then we either lose or draw. The only signing of Rafa who can win us the game is Torres, and he expect him to come on with 20 minutes left and score. When Rafa pick a side which can beat the likes of Stoke, I will give him a break. Saturday Man Utd will go top, and when Liverpool finish third at the end of the season I wonder how many more will agree with me then that Rafa needs to go.

    From mrferrari, on Tue 13 Jan 10:48PM

  19. arsenal are th champions arsenal are the champion that all i can say

    From timorfarazi, on Tue 13 Jan 10:05PM

  20. Hi, I'm an open minded Premier league football club owner from US. I'm interested in ..........

    From simon-roberts, on Tue 13 Jan 9:33PM
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