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Benitez close to resigning?


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XCLUSIVE: Rafa Benitez thought of resigning from Liverpool last week and even discussed leaving the club with his nearest allies, according to sources close to the Spanish manager. The only thing that stopped him from leaving Anfield was his respect for the Liverpool fans and for the people that work with him on a daily basis.

This is the first time since his arrival that Benitez has come this close to resigning, although on two other occasions offers from Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and a couple of other major European clubs led him to reassess his future at Anfield. On both occasions he decided to stay put and the club improved his contractual situation.

According to sources this time around, it is his desperation with the Barry transfer saga, the lack of a satisfactory conclusion to the Alonso transfer and the gaping hole on the left hand side of midfield - yet to be filled - that are the major causes of his dissatisfaction and frustration. This has nothing to do with his contract. “Rafa doesn’t care about what he is getting paid, he thought he was being undermined this summer and was close to giving up”, says a friend of the manager.

The situation at Anfield has been so confusing over the last few weeks - with the Gareth Barry saga and Xabi Alonso's failed move to either Juventus or Arsenal - that Benitez felt the need to explain, at his Friday press conference, that he was not involved in the Barry transfer: another way of saying that if it did not take place, then it was not his fault.

“Since I started talking with Martin O'Neill in April, I didn't talk with Aston Villa. All of the talks have been between Rick Parry and the owner, and chief executive, of Aston Villa, and both of them have been pretty good... I was not doing the talks about Barry, I was not doing the talks about Alonso, so if someone wants to talk about these players, then they have to talk with the chief executive of our club. If you want to talk about football, talk with me," said Rafa.

According to different sources, Benitez would have liked Gareth Barry to have been his first signing of the summer, ahead of even Robbie Keane, and by now the squad would have been closed. Instead, there is at least one new player to come in, although Liverpool have not yet given up hope in signing the Villa midfielder. The club, according to sources close to Tom Hicks, can afford Gareth Barry or a new left winger without the need to sell anybody.

One final factor, that influenced Benitez' decision to stay, was his belief that the team is set for a very good season and that they are in a position to improve on last year.

I believe this tbh, especially as Rafa has wrote a book with Guillem before

http://www.guillembalague.com/blog_desp.php?id=57

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He has lost it for me some of his signings, decisions etc are awful. Without Torres and Gerrard Liverpool would be very average team imo

I think of it from a different point of view he has got Liverpool a CL and a CL runners up medal with an extremely average side.... thats an fantastic achievement

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Guest Andypendek

I don't think you can rate a side boasting Carragher, Alonso, Riise, Gerrard, Mascherano and Torres are extremely average. Some of those weren't there for the CL win but even that side was pretty good - in fact I reckon it under-achieved in the EPL rather than anything else.

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I don't think you can rate a side boasting Carragher, Alonso, Riise, Gerrard, Mascherano and Torres are extremely average. Some of those weren't there for the CL win but even that side was pretty good - in fact I reckon it under-achieved in the EPL rather than anything else.

Liverpool are like the club version of England, clearly have the talent but in the end can't seem to do it.

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