Watch Liverpool

Posts Tagged ‘money’

• Cole keen to return to London after frustrating year
• Liverpool look to get former England midfielder off wage bill

Harry Redknapp’s attempts to strengthen his Tottenham Hotspur squad ahead of the closure of the transfer window could prompt a surprise move for the unsettled Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole.

Lassana Diarra and Emmanuel Adebayor are on the verge of completing switches to White Hart Lane but Redknapp has also expressed a desire to sign Cole. TheEngland midfielder has endured a frustrating year on Merseyside, starting only nine Premier League games last term following a free transfer from Chelsea. Liverpool omitted the 29-year-old from their squad for Wednesday night’s Carling Cup tie at Exeter City and indicated a willingness to allow him to depart, even on loan, to spare their wage bill. The player is keen to return to London and although QPR may offer an alternative destination, his preference is to be reunited with Redknapp at Spurs.

Cole is willing to accept a reduction in his salary – thought to be around £80,000-a-week – to smooth his departure from Anfield but it remains to be seen whether the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, would share his manager’s enthusiasm in pursuing the player. “I like Joe, and I am not going to say I don’t want to sign him because I would be lying,” said Redknapp. “I have not made any inquiries for Joe. It probably would be difficult because we tried to get him last year. It was not difficult for me but the chairman – well, he might think he didn’t want to come here last year and he went to Liverpool.”

Asked whether Cole would have to accept a reduction in wages to secure first-team football at Spurs, Redknapp said: “Yes, but I think he would have last time too. But we took our time making an offer and it all dragged on. In the end he probably felt he wasn’t wanted enough. He is a real talent. I signed him when he was 11 [at West Ham] and he was the best young footballer I have ever seen – I have never seen anyone come near him – and I think I can get him back to where he was. I would love to work with him again.”

Tottenham’s activity in the market is steadily gathering pace with agreement edging closer with Real Madrid over the £10m transfer of Diarra, formerly with Arsenal and Chelsea and an FA Cup winner with Redknapp at Portsmouth. That would represent a knockdown fee as far as the Spanish club are concerned, with Real hopeful of including a sell-on fee in any deal before sanctioning the move. Diarra’s salary, which amounts to some £120,000 a week, is in excess of the wage ceiling at White Hart Lane, though Levy is hoping to secure the player with a package of bonuses and a significant signing-on fee.

Adebayor’s salary, too, had appeared a potential obstacle blocking his loan move from Manchester City, though Redknapp, whose side go into this evening’s Europa League play-off against Hearts leading 5-0 from the away leg, indicated on Wednesday that the Togo forward will take a pay cut to return to north London, with City also paying a contribution. Spurs hope to complete the signing ahead of the weekend, though the striker would be ineligible for Sunday’s visit of City to White Hart Lane.

“Emmanuel will give us something different,” said Redknapp. “He has fantastic ability, and he had that spell at Arsenal when he was unplayable. He has had a spell where his reputation has gone down, so he needs to come in and have a right go. He has a big point to prove. But he’s not coming for the money. He’s taking a drop in salary because he fancies coming to Spurs.”

Tottenham HotspurHarry RedknappJoe ColeLiverpoolDominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk

For the second week in succession Arsenal had a man sent off and failed to score a goal, but for Arsène Wenger at the moment it never rains but it pours. Just as a patched-together Arsenal side seemed likely to hold out for another draw, a freakish own goal handed Liverpool three points they barely deserved.

Kenny Dalglish will not be complaining about that, though there was more evidence here that he may have paid over the odds for Andy Carroll. Liverpool barely looked like breaking the deadlock here until the £35m striker was taken off. By the end, with Arsenal losing their composure, the visitors were able to add insult to injury with a second goal in the final minute, their two substitutes again combining to leave Luis Suárez a tap in.

In something of a major surprise, Wenger turned out not to have been joking when he hinted Samir Nasri might play. The supposedly Manchester-bound Frenchman not only appeared in midfield, he seemed perfectly happy to do so. People have been saying all summer that Wenger is too careful with his money, yet here he was taking a bold gamble with a chip worth at least £20m, amid rumours that talks between the two clubs have broken down. Dalglish was slightly more cautious in his selection, leaving Suárez on the bench and asking Andy Carroll to play with just Dirk Kuyt’s occasional company up front.

That did not immediately look too threatening a combination, though when Laurent Koscielny broke down after a quarter of an hour and Arsenal had to fill in at centre half with Ignasi Miquel, making his first Premier League appearance, the balance tipped a little towards the visitors. Certainly the Arsenal fans had cause to be worried when Miquel mistimed his jump and failed to cut out the first Stewart Downing cross he had to deal with, leaving Carroll a free header that Wojciech Szczesny had to dive to save.

Jordan Henderson also brought a save from the Arsenal goalkeeper, though, with fewer crosses landing on Carroll’s forehead than Dalglish must have been hoping, it was perhaps significant that the nearest Liverpool came to taking the lead in the first half was a shot from exactly halfway by Charlie Adam, one that had Szczesny back-pedalling but flew a couple of feet too high. Arsenal came back into the game before the interval and twice came close with direct approaches, one when Pepe Reina dived low to keep out a drive from the impressive Emmanuel Frimpong, and then when Nasri left Lucas Leiva chasing in vain with a run through the middle to flash a shot narrowly wide.

The second half, played in a steady downpour, was as drab and depressing as the London weather until several things happened at once with 20 minutes left. First, Robin van Persie brought a scrambling save from Reina with the first decent attempt since the interval. Then Arsenal had a man sent off for the second week running, the impetuous Frimpong dangerously leaving a foot in against Leiva to collect a second yellow to add to the one he received for obstructing a throw in the first half. Finally, and not before time, Dalglish replaced the labouring Carroll with Suárez, who at least promised finesse.

Together with the other Liverpool substitute, Raul Meireles, Suárez helped conjure a goal in a matter of minutes. It was not much of a goal, more of a comedy of errors in the Arsenal defence that ended with Miquel’s attempted clearance striking Aaron Ramsey in the face and looping back over a stranded Szczesny, though the situation came about because Suárez, who had actually strayed fractionally offside, was trying to reach a return pass from Meireles. Just a few minutes of cleverness brought a greater reward than the previous hour-and-a-bit’s attempts to play the ball up to the big fella, a point re-emphasised by Liverpool’s second goal. It could have gone either way with Carroll on the pitch, but at the end it was the Arsenal fans complaining about not enough money being spent.

Premier League 2011-12ArsenalLiverpoolPremier LeaguePaul Wilsonguardian.co.uk

• New signing believes club can qualify for Champions League
• Excited about playing with Andy Carroll and Luis Suárez

Stewart Downing believes Liverpool can make the Champions League qualifying spots this season, after two years of not reaching the competition. Downing said: “There is a buzz back around the place, the owners have invested in the team and I just feel this club is going to go up another level again. I think I can make the step up, I am really pleased to be here and hopefully I can be part of a successful team.”

The 27-year-old cost £20m from Aston Villa this summer yet, despite his price, the winger does not believe Kenny Dalglish will automatically select him. “I don’t think the fact that Liverpool have paid the money for me will mean anything to Kenny,” he said. “That won’t influence his thinking. He sees a player he wants in a position and he isn’t bothered about price tags. If you don’t perform, you won’t be in the team regardless of whether you cost £20m, £15m, or not. His job is to get the best out of his team and, if someone is not performing, he is going to bring in someone else to take their place.

“I’m not relying on my price tag and I’m not thinking: ‘Well, he bought me, so I should get in the team.’ If you go down that route, then you will soon be out the team. I know I have to work hard and signing for Liverpool is just the start for me. It’s not the end. But I am ready to fight and work hard and repay people’s faith. I want that challenge.”

Downing is also clear that he will not alter his style. “The manager has seen something in my past performances that he liked and, if I can start on that standard again and push on, then that will hopefully be OK. I don’t see why I should change my game at all because of how much I cost. I have not really spoken to Kenny about what position I am going to be playing in. I have played left and right since I arrived. With the amount of players we have here we can play with wide men or stick to a narrower system. I hope I can fit into