From The Times:
Rafael Benitez vows to stay at Liverpool
Rafael BenĂtez spoke of his determination to stay at Liverpool yesterday, but as long as the civil war that has engulfed the club continues to rage, questions will remain about the managerâs long-term future at Anfield.
Given the duress BenĂtez is having to work under at such a critical stage of the season, it may rank as the greatest achievement of his managerial career if Liverpool win the Champions League final in Moscow on May 21, but with every day throwing up unexpected developments in this extraordinary saga, the Spaniard is refusing to look too far ahead.
BenĂtez has two years remaining on his contract at Anfield, but while he claimed yesterday that he was âreally pleased and happy hereâ and âwanted to stayâ, the Liverpool manager was less forthcoming when asked if he would remain at the club if the off-field troubles continued into the summer or beyond.
When asked if he could envisage walking away, BenĂtez said: âNo, at this moment, no. For now, itâs time to deal with problems on the pitch. I canât change the other things.â
Liverpool have agreed to sign two highly rated young players and one experienced foreign player in the summer, but when asked if his plans for next season would be hampered if there was not a change of ownership, BenĂtez said: âI donât know, but at least we are trying to go forward.â
The manager demanded answers from the board last weekend after discovering that Rick Parry, the chief executive, was at one of the two meetings George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the American co-owners, held with JĂŒrgen Klinsmann, the former Germany coach, last year, but while the manager indicated that contact and progress had been made on that front this week, it was unclear who with.
BenĂtezâs relationship with Parry remains untenable in the long term, as does that between Gillett and Hicks, but sources within the club claimed last night that the prospect of the warring board members settling their differences remains âa long way offâ.
There was at least some good news for BenĂtez yesterday, with sources within Dubai International Capital indicating that the Arab investment consortium would keep the manager if it was successful in its bid to win control of the club.
With changes of management possible at Valencia, BenĂtezâs former club, AtlĂ©tico Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid at the end of the season, the Spaniardâs services are likely to be in demand, but with a game away to Fulham this afternoon before the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Chelsea at Anfield three days later, he is attempting to focus on matters on the pitch.
It is the off-field troubles that continue to dominate the headlines, however. The revelations in The Times yesterday that Liverpool must repay the ÂŁ31.5 million borrowed to buy Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel by July 2009 or risk losing both players raised fresh questions about the state of Hicksâs finances as he attempts to raise the money â or find the financial backing â to buy out Gillett.
Hicks is believed to have been turned away by at least half a dozen financial institutions in recent months and the news that Royal Bank of Scotland, with whom he secured part of a ÂŁ350 million refinancing package in January, is to ask shareholders for about ÂŁ10 billion in extra cash may increase the pressure on the Texan to settle some of his debts.
So there's some good news then! It's about what we already knew though - Rafa loves the club and wants to stay, it's more a question of whether he would be forced out by the fighting over the control of the club.
Two other good bits of information as well - the fact that DIC have stated they wouldn't change manager if they took over the club, and the fact that Hicks really looks to be in over his head financially. I don't think he wants to sell soon, but maybe he's going to have to if the bank want their money back!
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