Frank Rijkaard heavily tipped to replace Roy Hodgson as Liverpool FC manager
Rumours are circulating that Roy Hodgson’s days as Liverpool manager are numbered, with former Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard heavily backed to replace him in the Anfield hotseat.
Rijkaard – who left Turkish club Galatasaray yesterday – is now the odds-on favourite to become the Reds’ new boss, with some reports even claiming that Hodgson will leave his job after tonight’s Europa League clash with Napoli in Italy.
Far more likely is that a decision will be made on the 63-year-old’s future after Sunday’s Premier League clash with Blackburn Rovers at Anfield, which Liverpool could well start rock bottom of the table after just one win in eight league games in what has so far been a nightmare campaign.
Reports claim that Rijkaard would look to install former Chelsea assistant manager Henk ten Cate as his No. 2, although the former Dutch international’s camp insist that no deal is imminent.
“Whenever we are approached, if we are approached, we will deal with that then but it's not helpful to get into rumours at this stage,” said Perry Overeem, Rijkaard’s representative.
New Reds owner John W Henry attended the team’s latest failure at Everton’s Goodison Park on Sunday, and met some supporters’ groups the following day.
It is likely that the American was met with a frosty response by fans when he asked what they thought of Hodgson, as the initial optimism surrounding the appointment of the veteran Englishman – who guided Fulham to the Europa League final last season – has waned in recent weeks due to poor results and what many see as puzzling comments from the boss.
The latest came in Naples last night, where Hodgson admitted that the Reds could be vulnerable to a bid from Manchester United to lure away star striker Fernando Torres in the wake of Wayne Rooney’s decision to quit the Old Trafford club. While the issue would admittedly be a concern for the Reds as long as they languish near the foot of the table, it was hardly the message that the club would like to project less than a week after concluding their successful takeover, and proclaiming it as “a new era.”
Yesterday’s departure of managing director Christian Purslow removed one of the key players in appointing Hodgson, and with the other – chairman Martin Broughton – due to step down from his role as soon as the transition to the new owners is completed, Hodgson would appear to be losing friends both in and around Anfield.
Henry and New England Sports Ventures installed their own manager within weeks of taking over the Boston Red Sox in 2002, and the Americans are unlikely to be swayed by the at times overwhelming desire within the game for “nice guy” Hodgson to do well.
The boss knew the dangers when he took the job, effectively backing his own ability in order to be in a strong position when the club finally found new owners.
The table, and the opinions of a growing number of Liverpool fans, suggests that he has overwhelmingly failed in that task, and he could now play the price.
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