Miserable Masch faces heartbreak in his attempt to quit Pool
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Mascherano promised 12 months ago he would be allowed to go
Mascherano received a firm promise 12 months ago that he would be allowed to leave this summer
The genial smile was never far away, but mention of Javier Mascherano's future brought a sharp reminder that Roy Hodgson is not to be trifled with in his role as Liverpool manager.
Mascherano received a firm promise 12 months ago that he would be allowed to leave this summer, provided he knuckled down last season, and is now pressing Liverpool to keep their word. But if he goes, says Hodgson, it will be on the club's terms, not the player's.
If there remains uncertainty over the £25million-rated midfielder's future - with Barcelona evidently cooling their interest and Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti prepared to pay no more than £15m - there could be no ambiguity over Hodgson's assessment of the situation and insistence there would be no cut-price deal to facilitate his departure.
While understanding Mascherano's reasons for wanting a move, the former Fulham boss made it clear his sympathy stretched only so far and that his conditions for any transfer were not up for negotiation.
Revealing the steely side to his normally affable nature, he stressed that a calf strain was the only reason for the player's absence against Trabzonspor in tonight's Europa League play-off first leg at Anfield.
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Should he recover in time, he will be considered for selection in Turkey next Thursday, even though it would cast a further shadow over his hopes of a move by making him ineligible for the Champions League until the knock-out stages next year.
Brushing aside any fears that a brooding Mascherano may allow his discontent to spill on to the pitch, Hodgson confirmed the Argentina skipper had been offered a new four-year contract, thought to be worth close on £100,000 a week, and added he would make him see out the two years left on his current deal, rather than let him go on the cheap.
'If an offer comes in that is commensurate with his value, that is one thing, but Javier does not expect us simply to allow him to walk out of here,' said Hodgson, who is considering resting skipper Steven Gerrard tonight.
'In an ideal world, I would not even be entertaining the idea of listening to any offers, regardless of the amount. It is only because of the promise made to him, amid all the interest from Barcelona a year ago, that we have been prepared to go this far. The fact is, he lives alone in Liverpool, because his wife never settled, so it would benefit him and his family if he moved to another country.
'But he's the best in the world at what he does, so a club have to make an offer that reflects his status. If that happened, and we reneged on our promise, we would have an unhappy player on our hands. But we won't have an unhappy player if there is no offer or only one that is ludicrously below what he, I and the whole world know he is worth. So far, there has been no offer whatsoever.
'That is how things stand, and I would have had no qualms about playing him tomorrow, had he been fit. There has been no pressure to avoid making him cup-tied. He has a new contract offer from us, and I'll be delighted if he decides to sign it. If not, I'll be quite happy to work with him for the next two years, and if he walks away, then so be it.'
Inter's former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is believed to be back on the trail of Dirk Kuyt but was given short shrift by Hodgson, who said bluntly: 'He is not for sale.'
Just 48 hours after Tottenham struggled in the Champions League against Young Boys in Berne, Switzerland, Hodgson warned English football's dominance in Europe was facing another stern test against a Trabzonspor side with six Turkish titles and eight cups to their name.
'The draw was particularly unkind to us in pairing us with the strongest of the unseeded sides,' he said. 'They play in a very competitive league in Turkey and have an excellent record in Europe, so we know what we are up against.'
Hodgson confirmed his interest in PSV Eindhoven's Sweden striker Ola Toivonen as he weighed up the claims of striker Fernando Torres and new signing Christian Poulsen for starting places tonight.
'We have watched him (Toivonen) but I can't give you any further indication,' he said. 'Torres is very keen to start, but I haven't decided yet. I don't know if he is up to two games in four days, so we have to be mindful of facing Manchester City on Monday.
'As for Poulsen, he had a pre-season with Juventus and is physically fit. It's his match fitness that is the question.
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Javier Mascherano's Liverpool misery compounded as Inter Milan switch sights to Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio
Misery man: Mascherano may be forced to stay at Liverpool with potential suitors Inter Milan switching targets
Miserable Javier Mascherano faces heartbreak in his attempt to quit Liverpool as it emerged that Inter Milan had turned their attention to Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio.
Former Reds boss Rafa Benitez would love to Mascherano to the San Siro, but Inter president Massimo Moratti is not prepared to meet Liverpool's £25million asking price.
Authoritative reports in Milan say the European champions have made Juventus player Marchisio their new No 1 target and will only consider the wantaway Liverpool star if they fail to land a player seen as Italy's next great midfield star.
Inter are offering their rivals £12.5m plus Argentina defender Nicolas Burdisso to snare the 24-year-old, who is younger, more versatile and cheaper than 26-year-old Mascherano.
Despite disappointing at the World Cup, Marchisio is still held in very high regard in Serie A. Mascherano received a promise 12 months ago that he would be allowed to leave this summer, provided he knuckled down last season, and he is pressing Liverpool to keep their word.
However, new boss Roy Hodgson insists the club will not be held to ransom and Inter have followed Barcelona in cooling their interest.
The Argentina captain will not play against Trabzonspor in the Europa League play-off first leg at Anfield, but Hodgson insists this is because of a genuine calf strain rather than a fear of making him cup-tied for suitors wanting to use Mascherano in the Champions League.
Liverpool have actually offered the former West Ham player a new four-year contract, thought to be worth close on £100,000 a week, and will make him see out the two years left on his current deal rather than let him go on the cheap.
'It is only because of the promise made to him, amid all the interest from Barcelona a year ago, that we have been prepared to go this far.
'But he's the best in the world at what he does, so a club have to make an offer that reflects his status. If that happened, and we reneged on our promise, we would have an unhappy player on our hands.
'But we won't have an unhappy player if there is no offer or only one that is ludicrously below what he, I and the whole world know he is worth. So far, there has been no offer whatsoever.
'He has a new contract offer from us, and I'll be delighted if he decides to sign it. If not, I'll be quite happy to work with him for the next two years, and if he walks away, then so be it.'
Benitez is also believed to be back on the trail of Dirk Kuyt but was given short shrift by Hodgson, who said bluntly: 'He is not for sale.'
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i think im getting mascherano on the back of my new liverpool jersey - regardless of him leaving or staying
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This is turning out to be a game of who call whose bluff first.
Inter with Rafa, has the knowledge of the agreement Pool have with Masch and also how much he wants to leave them... So Inter is trying to take advantage of the situation and get him on the cheap...
Pool on the other hand is trying to hold out for the right price and right now putting up a front like they don't really care. But they forget Rafa has the inside to this. So it gets tricky and complicated especially when they already know Pool have bought Christian Poulsen and still have Lucas for that same position...
To be fair, even if Inter were to pay $25m for Masch in present day market, i think it's still a very good deal for them.
