Football Special Report: Liverpool’s expenditure plans, transfers and signings during the summers, deal with QSL’s Huang, player controversies (Part 3)
The shock of Fernando Torres deciding to stay at Anfield was humongous and its reverberations are set to change in the footballing community. He will be the perfect catalyst to jump start a Liverpool revival.
Even his Spanish team mate David Villa was shocked. He stated, “I am actually a little surprised. It looks like Nando is staying. After I spoke with him at the World Cup I thought he would sign for Chelsea. I think it must only be that Chelsea did not meet Liverpool's valuation. Because, if they had, I am sure he would have made the move.”
He added, “This is Liverpool's last chance to keep him. They have to prove they are capable of challenging on all fronts this season, otherwise he will be gone. If Liverpool fail to win anything I am sure he will be at Chelsea next summer”.
With time and the ever growing market, the interest from the Spanish clubs grew weaker, especially after the FIFA 2010 World Cup, at which point the market had suddenly exploded with new talent. Still the Italian club Inter Milan never lost confidence in him. However, now the board at San Siro was facing competition from some English clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea, who were planning to bid on all their eyes could see.
Chelsea, as a matter of fact were this time looking for a good midfielder but Manchester City was still scouring for talent and were simply bidding in hopes of getting a good price. All this ultimately meant that there was only one team left in the market that had desired the defensive midfielder for a very long time and that was Inter Milan.
However, Javier Mascherano was still facing some obstacles to finalize his deal with Inter. Firstly after the World Cup his value had grown with Argentina producing a marvellous performance all around and the La Albliceleste player playing large role in it. With this development the new manager at Anfield, Roy Hodgson wanted to take full advantage of the situation.
The former 63 year old Fulham manager was of course at an advantage and truly has no option but to delay and get the best deal he can get from the Champions League winners, Inter Milan. Inter also went on with an amazing treble of victories under the management of Jose Mourinho, who has now left the club for Real Madird.
His departure made the sacked Liverpool manager, Spaniard Rafael Benitez come to Inter Milan. Benitez had arrived at the Merseyside in 2004, accounting for a dismissive performance in the season of 2009-10 and it was finally decided that it was time to replace him. Also with the financial crisis at Kop, Benitez also wanted to leave the club. Now the club is under consideration by a Chinese group headed by businessman Kenny Huang that might take over the club and revive it from its miseries.
It has been widely speculated that the reason behind Mascherano wanting to leave Anfield for San Siro is his friendship with his former manager Rafael Benitez and the chance of leaving an ailing club and joining the Champions League winners. Mascherano has revealed that those are the reasons why he wanted to join Inter but there is more to the story than seen.
The Argentinean veteran has relayed that he really needs a change in his life, which sums up that he really wants to change his lifestyle and environment. Mascherano said that he had no quarrels or grievances with club and his transfer was made on a solely his personal reasons. He has demanded time and again to the Liverpool board to make the transfer possible as soon as possible but Hodgson has plans of his own.
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