Liverpool's American owners are believed to be refusing to release funds for boss Rafael Benitez to buy a centre-back to ease the club's injury problems before the transfer window shuts.
And the situation could well escalate into yet another financial crisis at Anfield, as the club bid to recover from the damaging first-day loss at Tottenham on Sunday. Benitez's diminishing transfer budget is overshadowing Anfield's opening league game of the season on Wednesday against Stoke, who achieved a goalless draw on Merseyside last season.
Benitez was on Tuesday asked several times at his pre-match media conference to explain his cash-flow problems, but on each occasion he said: "I do not want to discuss money."
But sources close to the Spanish coach confirm he has held talks with temporary managing director Christian Purslow, appointed by owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett in the wake of Rick Parry's summer departure, and now the go-between for Benitez and the American owners.
Benitez has explained the pressing need for another centre-back to be signed, with Daniel Agger now out for another three weeks with a worrying back problem. Martin Skrtel is doubtful to face Stoke following the jaw injury he sustained in Sunday's defeat at Spurs, although he did train on Tuesday. Benitez will not make a decision on whether to risk the Slovakian until closer to kick-off.
With Sami Hyypia now having left the club on a free transfer, Benitez is left with youngster Daniel Ayala to partner Jamie Carragher, who has recovered from the head injury sustained at White Hart Lane that needed stitches. But it is Benitez's transfer budget, or the lack of it, that is causing serious problems at the club.
The source said: "The figures have changed since Rafa signed his contract. He has sold several players and raised a lot of money, but is not being allowed to spend it."
There is a belief among fans the club's owners have soaked up much of the money Benitez has generated this summer to pay off the £60million they were instructed to find by the banks to reduce their debt, ahead of the re-financing package for the loans they took out to buy the club.
Financial experts in the USA predicted last month the owners would use player sales to raise the £60million they need, and fans now fear that is what is happening.
Benitez insists he is not prepared to gamble £6million-plus on Stoke's former Manchester United defender Ryan Shawcross, when he has comparable youngsters on the staff at Anfield who deserve a chance. But Benitez is believed to want to buy Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta, and is not being allowed the cash to do so.
Comment 26 - 45 of 45
Look would everyone SHUT IT !! NO Way are we gunna end up like Newcastle or Leeds you fools! Jus coz we lost one of the two league fixtures we lost last season does not mean where gunna struggle. Rafa is strange one yes but have confidence we will get the win against stoke 2nyt. The Yanks our screwing stuff up but we will do well this season and they will sell out at the end of the season if the money situation worsens Liverpool in the championship HAHAHAHA that will be the day pigs fly lad. have faith and all u MANCS we beat u twice last season and you lot seem to struggle against Birmingham. go leave comments on your own page T!Ts . YNWA YNWA YNWA
Its going to get worse. The yanks are doing their best but its not good enough. They never had the money for this club. Upsetting.
Well said Gareth.....I will say to all the american haters, you'd slate them even more if they bankrupted the club like a Risdale,Lowe or Shepperd. They have dipped their hands in their pockets more than enough...Cavalieri (3mill)...Johnson (18.5mill)..Skrtel (6.5mill)..Dossena (7mill)...Babel (11.5mill)..Lucas(6mill)..Mascherano(18mill)..Aquilani( 18mill)..Torres(23mill)...Riera(7Mill)...Keane (21mill...sold at a 6mill loss 6 months later)..N'Gog(1.8mill)...these including bosmans on big wages such as Voronin and Degen aswell as over a dozen youngsters signed for fees....how can anyone say they are killing the club.....everyone would love to be in the situation Man City are in, but we and most other world wide clubs aren't, giant clubs like Juventus,Milan,Roma,Man Utd and valencia are all massively in debt, Chelsea and Man City owe their owners money that will NEVER be paid back .No one could have forseen the world wide credit crash which stopped them building the stadia.
And as much as I had respect for David Moores, if he was still in control do you really think we would have Mascherano and Torres playing for us???? Give the yanks a break, since their little spat with Rafa they've kept a low profile, allowed Rafa full control over dealings and installed King Kenny back at the club....what more do you want!!!!Mike Ashley???????
Tom Hicks and George Gillett must now leave Liverpool. To all fans of Liverpool,we should do like Real Madrid, put the director out of the club. If the arab bought Liverpool,I'm sure Alonso would have stayed at Liverpool as Benitez could have really make big signings. F*** Tom Hicks and George Gillett,go away man,you are not any football team's favourite chairman.They know nothing about football.I agree with comment 29,but we need centre back as ours are injured. Aurelio is a very good player,but he will be absent for 6months,doesn't it sucks? I'VE GOT TWO WORDS FOR Tom Hicks and George Gillett, FFO KCUF.
Get out of Liverpool, suck Hicks and Gillett
number 39 you idiotic scumbag. its not about what hes spent its abuot what hes been given. he started with a terrrible squad excluding carragher and gerrard, no doubt the worst of the top 4 at the time. And yes he has spent the most but he has only spent what he has sold. united and celsea are able to buy the titles they get as the owners stump up any fee for their managers, whereas liverpool and arsenal do things the proper way by recycling players. this is why chelsea and united have so much depth as they sell far less players as liverpool as they have no need to. Anybody who challenges benitez's handling of the club is ignorant of the situation, most of the bad transfers were done by Parry but now hes out the door benitez has more control. look how far the squad has come from that champions league 11 with comparatively no money given to him to spend, benitez is a genius.
I may be unpredictable but I am predicting that if Hicks (Dumb) and Gillett (Dumber) don't give Rafa what he wants as in transfer funds, then he will leave. I genuinely believe that the eagerly-frustrated Liverpool fans will march outside Anfield and protest to force these two no-hopers of owners out before this situation gets a lot worse!
#29...gareth. BEFORE YOU COME OUT AND SPIT YOUR STINK @#$%, GO IN THE BATHROOM AND BRUSH YOUR TEETH. IF YOU ARE TALKING HISTORY AND DATAS, YOU BETTER KNOW WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT!
RAFA IS THE ONLY MANAGER (NOT CLUB) WHO HAS SPENT OVER £190M OVER FEW YEARS (5+) AND HE ONLY MANAGED ONE CHAMPION LEAGUE HISTORY TROPHY.....GRRRRRRRRR YOU BUGGGERRRRR SCOUCERS
Only the fans can save Liverpool now. The only way to do so quickly is to stop wishful thinking and BLIND support. Stop going to anfield and dry up match day resources quick. Benitez needs to go NOW as he is living on PAST glory. He players out of position then complains that they aren't delivering (like Babel). Plays terrible players regularly (Leiva, Zenden). He needs to go and go now. The only way that will happen is if we have new owners that know a thing or two about soccer not tweedle dee and tweedle dum (Gillett and Hicks). David Moores should be lynched if he ever steps foot in Anfield again for selling to those idiots cos of a measly 8 million pound gain. If Liverpool fans do not do this now, the club will die a SLOW death at the hands of these Yanks. The writing is on the wall now, only a fool will ignore it. Blind support does no one any good.
Gareth POST 29: You forgot to mention that you are Beneathus's b itch.
Wow! this is great news! night night.
YAWN,YAWN, YAWN,YAWN, COYB
Gareth POST 29: You forgot to mention that you are Beneathus's @#$%!
i thought rafa signed his contract on basis that he would get some dough to spend so far he has spent 17 on johnson an 20 on aquilani recived 25 for alonso 3.5 for arbelloa? he only been given 10mil on my figures how is poor fella meant to improve liv with no moey your yanks are dicks everyone slagged the glaziers and now they are like gods compared to these 2 arseholes
2 years ago i think arsenal played liverpool in the carling cup. both sides had big gmes before and after. Arsenal continued with their policy of blooding the youngsters. So did liverpool but they lost 6-2 over all. Arsenal are now starting to yeild the fruits with Gibbs, Wilshere, Ramsey, etc etc are going to save millions in the long term. What happened to the liverpool youngsters ? are they not good enough ? if not is it the players or the coaching staff ?
Comment No 29, Exactly well said, I too choose not to panic, just yet. Long live Rafa in red, YNWA
just use our youngster player. give them a chance to play more senior game then we can produce the player
became gerrard and caragher.
This is the same thing that happens every year! first there is optomism, then there is a fiasco! then there is gloom! when will the press and everybody realize that benitez took liverpool to the CL final with a team that should never have won it, then won it! he has had 6 or 7 times in his anfield career where the questions have been raised about his ability to win things with liverpool! here are a few facts for the pundits and press alike!
1:- he won the CL with a very weak squad!
2:- chelsea, man utd, spurs and man city have spent more money than rafa (net) in the 5 years he has been there! from which chelsea and man utd had the stronger squads to start with! this means he has been catching the big 2 with less money!
3:- he has generated mostly all of the money he has spent on players from the CL Final and 2 other semi finals he got to!
4:- he has the record at anfield of most points total liverpool have ever achieved!
5:- liverpool are the top ranked club in europe at the moment and for the last 3 years!
so before you listen to the ill informed andy grey/jamie redknapp combo or the media who want an invite to the fergie lovin (press conference at Old trafford) please remeber that with all the ups and downs he has had to suffer being in the anfield hotseat there are only a few managers in the world who could accept what he has too! United and Chelsea are in the same position as liverpool (financially alot worse, united are nearl£1 billion in debt and chelsea are at the mercy of roman abramovich) it is a funny old game and being a fan is sticking through it thick and thin! we wont be relegated, we are still in with a shout of the league! forgive me if i don't panic just yet!!
Liverpoo are finished
Scouse scum
what a mess
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