[lfc-news] Benítez blasts agent over Owen's leaving of Liverpool - Guardian

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/2_TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

The Guardian, 14 Aug 2004
Benítez blasts agent over Owen's leaving of Liverpool
England's prime striker to be unveiled as an £8m capture at the Bernabéu
next week but Madrid's allure is resisted as Highbury's captain stays after
a last-minute about-turn
By Dominic Fifield

Rafael Benítez last night denied that Michael Owen was forced to leave
Anfield while suggesting that the England striker's agent had engineered
the move to Real Madrid behind Liverpool's back.

Owen passed a medical in Madrid last night before completing the
formalities of his transfer to Real, with Liverpool receiving a fee of £8m
and the right-sided midfielder Antonio Núñez in return. The 24-year-old is
to be unveiled at the Bernabéu at a press conference today, though the role
played by his agent Tony Stephens has left Liverpool's new manager
smouldering back on Merseyside.

"To suggest that we didn't want Michael and he was not happy here is
untrue," said Benítez, who will take charge of his first Premiership match
at Tottenham this lunchtime. "Michael was very happy when I spoke with him
last week and we wanted him to stay, but the club had been waiting for a
year already when I arrived for him to sign a new contract. Two months
later he still had not signed.

"The problem is Real were aware of that too and talked with his agent and
the player, and then everything changed. I'm sure the club talked about the
contract and tried to sign him up, but sometimes you can't control it.

"It's down to the agents. In football now, the agent controls many
situations. I knew Michael was a wonderful player and I have no doubts he
still is, but the situation changed as soon as Real came in. Then the
situation was difficult to control, and bad for us."

Asked whether he thought Stephens, of SFX, had been negotiating with Real
behind Liverpool's back, the Spaniard responded pointedly: "You'll have to
ask the agent that."

Stephens returned to work after a protracted sabbatical only in spring, by
which time Liverpool's offer of a new deal for the England striker had
effectively been on the table for eight months. Talks failed to reach
agreement, with Owen happy to move on once Real's interest surfaced.

The loss of England's premier striker represents a worrying start to the
Benítez era, though the Spaniard intends to use the £8m fee to strengthen
his squad. Barcelona's Luis García is expected to move to Anfield for £6m
but Benítez will face competition, ironically from Madrid, for Real
Sociedad's Xabi Alonso after the collapse of Patrick Vieira's move to the
Bernabéu. The Madrid president Florentino Pérez contacted the Basque club
yesterday to re-register their interest in the midfielder, though their £6m
bid falls short of Real Sociedad's £10m valuation.

The new recruits will have to impress quickly if Benítez is to make the
desired impact, though there was defiance yesterday from the manager in the
face of a difficult start at the club. "When a big club like Liverpool
changes manager it is because something isn't right," said Benítez, who was
forced to sell his midfielder Gaizka Mendieta to Lazio on taking up the
reins at Valencia in 2001. "It is because things need to change.

"You never enjoy seeing good players leave, but my job is to make decisions
like that. People should judge me at the end of the season.

"I'm not afraid. All teams around the world lose important players. You
have to look to the future. We have the opportunity to try and balance the
team. The supporters should know we have done the best for the club.
There'll hopefully be good news for them next week. We can be a stronger team."

Núñez will provide balance and bite on the right side of midfield, an area
weakened by the sale of Danny Murphy to Charlton, with the Spaniard, 25,
expected on Merseyside on Monday to undergo a medical. Though Liverpool's
first choice as a makeweight in the Owen deal would have been the teenager
Juanfran, Benítez is confident Núñez can flourish here and was quick to
reject suggestions that David Beckham - or any of the galácticos - had been
offered by Madrid.

"Right midfield was our priority," added Benítez. "Juanfran would have been
difficult to sign, but Núñez was one of our first choices. He can run with
the ball down that side, get to the line and he's good in the air. He'll be
a good signing.

Núñez himself said: 'I'm still stunned, even though I knew about
Liverpool's interest last week. I'm going there to be a first-team regular
and to win important trophies."

Of Owen, Benítez said: "I think José Antonio Camacho will be happy with
Michael and the strikers he has now. Which one to pick is a good problem to
have. It will be difficult for Michael to get into the starting line-up.
It's always difficult when you change your country, language, team. But he
has an advantage because he is a good player. He can talk on the field."


Unsubscribe: lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.lfc-list.org.uk/

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lfc-news/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/