[Official] Liverpool land Johnson from Portsmouth
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LIVERPOOL boss Rafa Benitez insists Glen Johnson NEVER had any intention of returning to Chelsea or joining Manchester City.
The Portsmouth defender completed his £17million move to Anfield last night and penned a four-year deal worth around £100,000 a week.
Former club Chelsea matched the offer to try and coax Johnson, 24, back to Stamford Bridge while City have never officially confirmed their interest. But Benitez was confident right from the first time he spoke to the England defender that he only wanted a move to Merseyside.
The Spanish boss said: "Manchester City and Chelsea were there - they were making offers. We had to be quick and the club acted quickly.
"It was down to the player whether he chose us or City or Chelsea and he chose us. It was very clear from talking to him that he wanted to play for Liverpool. "We were thinking about bringing in players with quality - that's the first thing.
He is also English and that is important for the Champions League list. "We were thinking about improving the team and Johnson is a very good player who will do that."
Johnson could be the only new arrival at Liverpool this summer as Benitez has to watch the pennies. So the Kop boss had to be sure there would be no mistakes this time - and he was sure about Johnson from early on in the negotiations.
Benitez added: "One of the main things is his mentality - it's really good. He is a winner. "I was impressed with the conversations I had with him. He wants to improve. He was important at Chelsea and in the last year at Portsmouth he has improved.
"I've already said we could buy one more player without selling anyone. We now have to wait." Johnson's arrival could hasten the departure of Spanish full-back Alvaro Arbeloa, who is wanted by Real Madrid.
Benitez said: "We have offered him an extension and we're talking. He is our player but if there is a good offer we have to consider it.
"We have two or three clubs asking about him. He would like to stay but he knows the competition will be hard."
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reall worth?
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Originally posted by youyayu:
reall worth?
No
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Better hope he is not another "play a total of 10 games and then gets sold off at the end of the season" player.
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looks like the england RB slot will be occupied by him for many years to come. Gary neville is injurone prone and old, wes brown also injury prone, micah richards like disappearing from the england scene for a couple of years.
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lets hope he proves his worth.
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i would seriously prefer spending the money on someone like sliva -.-
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Originally posted by limpper:
i would seriously prefer spending the money on someone like sliva -.-
well obviously you don't know rafa well enough
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buying players like this then considered RAFA IS NORMAL
if suddenly he launch huge bid for some big stars, then something is wrong.
but we fans would love to see more of torres kind of quality signings coming in.
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Lets see how he performs first.
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He was bought to fill the local player quota.
Whether he perform or not, that is not important.
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Liverpool land Johnson from Portsmouth
Portsmouth have confirmed the transfer of England right back Glen Johnson to Liverpool for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club said on Friday.
"Glen's a fantastic guy and it's a great opportunity for him to join an outstanding club who can offer him Champions League football," Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie told the club website.
"We wish him all the best for next season - apart from the two games when we play Liverpool."
The 24-year-old, who has signed a four-year contract, has become an England regular under coach Fabio Capello and has 15 caps for his country.
Former Chelsea player Johnson, who began his career with West Ham United, struggled to impress at Stamford Bridge and was loaned to Portsmouth in 2006.
The deal was made permanent a year later and Johnson has since become one of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League, helping Portsmouth win the FA Cup in 2008.