Barry left in limbo by Liverpool
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Liverpool's owners refuse to back Benítez over £18m Barry transfer
Liverpool's owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, have risked sparking another internal feud at Anfield by refusing to back Rafael Benítez's judgment on the £18m transfer of Gareth Barry. The farcical transfer saga was close to collapse last night, with the England international considering re-committing his future to Aston Villa and the Liverpool manager admitting the deal was in doubt but claiming: "It is not a question of money."
The American co-owners have refused to sanction a short-term loan for Benítez to complete the Barry deal despite previously meeting the £18m asking price but missing a deadline set by the Midlanders by minutes. Gillett's and Hicks' stance will raise doubts over their ability to finance a new stadium for Liverpool but it is reservations over Barry's transfer, not a lack of resources, that has threatened the move and their relationship with Benítez.
Benítez expected the Barry deal to go through earlier this week after the player and his agent, Alex Black, demanded the move and O'Neill gave Liverpool "all the time in the world" to return with the £18m Hicks and Gillett pledged last month. Since then, however, the Americans have expressed doubts over Barry's valuation, the low resale value of a player who will be 31 at the end of his proposed four-year contract and particularly the need to sign the central midfielder with Xabi Alonso still at the club.
Those doubts were aired by Liverpool supporters during last night's 1-0 friendly win over Lazio, as they chanted Alonso's name throughout and barracked Barry's proposed arrival, but Benítez refused to concede defeat in his summer-long pursuit after the game. "We have not been able to bring in Barry but it is not a question of money, I don't know what it is," the Liverpool manager said.
"We need to improve if we can and I think we need another player, because clearly we have problems on the left. I have sold [John Arne] Riise, [Harry] Kewell has gone, [Fabio] Aurelio is injured and [Sebastián] Leto didn't get a work permit, so we need another left-sided player. I cannot say now who that will be but Barry can fill that position and play in others, too. The rules will say we need four English and four associated players and Barry is English, who can play in three different positions, but I cannot say any more. All I can say is I will try my best but I don't know too much why we haven't signed Barry."
While Benítez could yet raise the money to sign Barry by selling Alonso or off-loading both Jermaine Pennant and Andriy Voronin, the Villa captain is losing patience and wants his future clarified before the start of the new season. Having provoked the wrath of O'Neill and Villa supporters by publicly pressing for the move, Barry has since been left in limbo by Liverpool and is prepared to stay put if the saga drags into next week.
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Heh, looks like Liverpool owners are'nt as rich as we thought. Either that, or Benitez is'nt as smart as we thought
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no money
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No lah, not no money... I think they are just hesitant to spend so much $$$ on a Berry... Opps... Barry... lol.