CITY KEEN ON YOSSI BENAYOUN
Mark Hughes keeping tabs on Liverpool midfield star
MANCHESTER CITY boss Mark Hughes is monitoring Yossi Benayoun's situation at Liverpool as he prepares for the January transfer window.
Benayoun has hopped on to City's radar after the midfielder was named on the bench for last Sunday's title-jolting 2-0 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Hughes has been given the green light to spend heavily again in January as he chases a Champions League place for next season and Benayoun is suddenly in his sights.
The Israeli midfielder was made a scapegoat by Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez for the earlier 2-0 defeat against Fiorentina in the Champions League.
He was dropped for last weekend's trip to Chelsea and only called on with just over 20 minutes left - further annoying Benitez by missing a golden scoring opportunity late in the game.
Competition for places in City's midfield is already high but Benayoun is well aware of their interest in him.
City will not be put off by the potential asking price although Benayoun signed an improved deal with the Kop club in the summer that runs to 2013.
He has never fully established himself as a regular starter at Anfield where his slight skills have not always been appreciated.
Even a Premier League hat-trick against Burnley last month failed to lift him in the pecking order.
This article has 21 comments
Nigel, Man U play with usually 2 & occasionally 3 strikers, we play with 1, a man who is arguably the best striker in the world. Ok, Owen may not be starting every game, but Man U could (and are) offering him reasonably regular football, for us he's have sat on the beach as back up for Torres.
Sannoh, Carraghaer is not inept because he had a poor game against Drogba. When Drogba is in that frame of mid he's virtually unplayable. Yes Carragher may not be in the best form of his career, but Skrtel is in poor form too. Insua & Johnson do not offer the same level of defensive protection as Aurillio and Arbeloa. Mascherano has been in poor form & Lucas isn't good enough.
To blame all the defensive problems on Carragher is wrong, he is still Liverpool's best centre half & one of the best in the league.
By Russ. Posted October 12 2009 at 10:02 AM.
sell lucas he is one player who shouldnt be in the squad,u dont need to be a brain surgeon to see it.someone tell lucas to look for another career.
By chi79. Posted October 12 2009 at 7:36 AM.
Will those calling for Rafa's head are ready to fill in? lol
By kavin. Posted October 12 2009 at 6:51 AM.
liverpool's current problem is rafa's selection on who plays especially in the midfield and centre backs. players like carragher and lucas are worse for these past two season and liverpool's poor performance this season in my opinion rest squarely on the midfield's lack of support to the strikers and also forming a shield infront of the porous defence manned by carragher and skrtel. carragher's inept especially with drogba has always been a problem and his usual offside traps that always fail.i therefore suggest that rafa gets a formidable centre half to replace carra and also remove lucas from the midfield if he is to get results.
By sannoh. Posted October 12 2009 at 1:34 AM.
Rafa is the problem!Dilly darlied on renewing Steve G's contract resulting in Chealse's interest.Frustrated Cessie,Keane,Alonso and many others.The guy cannot manage and groom players,I wonder what Babel would be like if he played for any of the other top 4 teams.Rafa uses bullish tactics and arrogance.You recall his rotational policy which had gone too far,and his lying to Liverpool fans that there is still hope of winning the premiership even last season when it was certain Man u would win it.Recently bought an injured player and complains of not getting enough money to buy players,even with the little he may get Im sure he can still afford a few decent players.Talk of Instambul,that team had been built by Houlier if you come to think of it.The team's perfomance in the premiership and in the European champions recently and currently is nowhere near that which had won the tournament.A year after Instambul the team was rescued by UEFA to play in the champions league when they ended 5th or 6th on the premieship table.How can we call that progress.Man u won that cup but still managed to win the premiership the following year.Chelsea played in the final but managed to finish 3rd.How many chances must Rafa be given before we join the middle of the table rank.What Liverpool has remaining at the moment is its legacy,dedicated players like Steve.G and its fan base.Thats whats keeping the club ticking.
By JO. Posted October 12 2009 at 1:27 AM.
...Fergie doesn't buy flops!!?? Nani, Anderson, Foster, Berbatov. The only reason it doesn't get mentioned is 'cos all the other £20 million players he's bought bail him (&them) out.
By Dave . Posted October 11 2009 at 6:20 PM.
Liverpool should keep Banayoun he can turn a game esp/ from the bench - however if Man city stump up 10mill+ then Liverpool should sell. The big crime at Liverpool is the lack of communicatiojn between the owners and manager - to think that any rise in player wages was not communicated as part of the 20mill available to Rafa is a disgrace. Liverpool are cash strapped - however it is not always the most expensive team that wins things - Chelsea's top 17 players come to approx £190 mill, Man Uts about £180 and Liverpool about 140 mill. Liverpool will not compete with these until they change grounds anf gain revenue from 70, 000+ stadia.
Bottom line - Liverpool have Dossena, Voronin, Babel and Lucas that will hardly feature this season or be very questionable - they could have sold them for 20mill and bought other players - for example having Voronin - when they could have bought Noble from Newcastle and Kevin Davies from Bolton is absurd, Benitez has made some superb signings - however these 4 players and how quickly Aqualani comes thru will determine whether Benitez keeps his job - that 20 mill + 20mill for Aqualiani would have bought David Villa. It's one thing to not have much money but to then not use what you have wisely and also get full value from the whole squad is the test here.
By Steve Cooper. Posted October 11 2009 at 4:50 PM.
Russ - Owen isn't playing every week for Man Utd and I'm pretty sure Ferguson hasn't given him any assurances, but he still saved their bacon against Man City the other week. Signing him on a free transfer would have been a bargain but Rafa bought Voronin back from loan instead.
By Nigel M. Posted October 11 2009 at 2:29 PM.
Benayoun is a good player, however, he is better in the middle the he is on the wings, & in Liverpool's current system that puts him where Gerrard is playing & he isn't going to oust Gerrard.
Rafa didn't sell Heskey, that deal was Houllier's last act as manager.
Crouch wanted to go because he only had a bit part role, Rafa didn't want him to go, & thats the same reason why Owen didn't come back, because he wanted assurance he would be playing every week which Rafa couldn't give him.
By Russ. Posted October 11 2009 at 11:56 AM.
I agree with Jimbo, get rid of Rafa too many bad players, hes trying to make them better but its not working. He's only interested in European Cups anyway to raise his profile more...
By ade. Posted October 11 2009 at 11:41 AM.
paul wokes you chat was rafa choice to sign keane was rafas choice to sell alonso and his fault makeing him feel unwated last season AND then agreed to sell him then he choses to bring in a player four months from fitness when an urgent player ofthe same mold was needed aqualinni is a good player more simlar to gerrard than alonso so which tells you rafa intended on lucas bein 1st choice more bad descions by the gafa this was the best chance liverpool had of winning the leuge ronaldo leaveing manutd and chelsea seeing a new boss comeing in there players well over 30 and man city being too green to make a genuine title chalenge we won europe his 1st year f,a 2nd euro final 3rd semi f euro 4th qf euro 5 th no progress is being made
By lee moorcroft. Posted October 11 2009 at 11:29 AM.
Yossi! Don't leave!
By Smartman. Posted October 11 2009 at 11:18 AM.
sell him for about 15 million
then rafa will have 27 million pound to spend
cuz he's getting 12 mill from the owners in january
i say
he offers 5 million for klaas jan hunterlaar
and then atleast he'll have a decent striker on in the squad (except torres of course)
By Billy. Posted October 11 2009 at 11:02 AM.
Sorry but the lack of funds is a convenient excuse for Benitez's poor transfer record. For every good player he's bought there have been two average or bad ones. He's signed and then sold quality strikers who are still at the top of their game - Bellamy, Crouch, Keane. He let Owen and Heskey go then failed to re-sign Owen this summer. Liverpool fans should ask themselves who they would like as backup to Torres - Ngog and Voronin or any two of the five aforementioned.
By Nigel M. Posted October 11 2009 at 11:05 AM.
rafa out spent millions on crap players never win the prem why hes in charge
By tom 1 . Posted October 11 2009 at 10:51 AM.
utter rubbish! benitez is not the problem, lack of funds is! despite what most people think we don't get much to spend! so his choice of targets becomes limited to pretty much second rate players, (or in the case of lucas, sunday league!) and when we do get someone we get our arms ripped off! johnson, good plyer good signing, not worth £18m. and as for robbie keane? well anyone who is a liverpool fan knows that he wasn't rafa's choice! especially not at £20m. his hands are tied people! do you honestly think if it were all his choice he would be going for these players?? money is limited,and we don't have the means to just go out and assemble a team like some do, that said, we still don't do too bad, any other team below us would regard themselves as successful if they had a season like we do, and there can only ever be one winner each year. our time will come, what goes around comes around, and to all man u fans, nothing lasts forever! you're only enjoying the same success we did, and that will end for you as it did for us!
By paul vokes. Posted October 11 2009 at 9:28 AM.
if they offer us a good player like wright phillip's or somethinig yh.
y doesn't rafa go 4/1/2/1/2 until aquilani is fit again.
you'll have johnson, agger, carragher, aurelio in defence. mascherano in the cm
benayoun on the right and riera on the left. kuyt and torres upfront
By shuaib. Posted October 11 2009 at 9:19 AM.
rafa benitez is a clown he keeps playing lucas and insua and has the mighty voronin and ngog as back up for torres total totally inept manager who has not built a strong enough squad and he has only kept his job because liverpool got a little lucky in europe, the sooner he is out the better for the prem as someone might be able to turn them into challengers for the title
By sammy lee. Posted October 11 2009 at 8:49 AM.
What nonsense, he is fundamental to the team and plays nearly every game. Also Benitez was not annoyed for him missing the goal against Chelsea as he already said it would have made no difference as we were 2-0 down at that point and there was no time left on the clock.
By Jimbo. Posted October 11 2009 at 8:51 AM.
get rid of rafa he is gonna kill this club, to many crap squad players
By viz. Posted October 11 2009 at 8:22 AM.
cant see him leaving but rafa needs to play him more than lucus
By mike. Posted October 11 2009 at 2:09 AM.