my liverpool fc

Juventus are ready to meet a late challenge from Inter head on in the race for the signature of Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko.

The tough tackling Mali international is fourth in line to Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano in the centre midfield pecking order at Anfield, and there are increasing indications that Rafa Benitez will allow him to leave for a significant offer.

An amount in excess of £10m should be enough to convince the Reds to relinquish the 22-year-old, who has also attracted interest from Manchester City Everton, Fiorentina and Olympique Lyon.

Juventus have already opened the lines of communication and for the first time on Monday, coach Claudio Ranieri openly admitted an interest in the player, who is being dubbed in some circles as the “new Patrick Vieira”.

"I had the pleasure to coach him at Valencia and I like him a lot," the former Chelsea manager said yesterday. "I know him very well. He is a great player." J

uventus would ideally like to loan Sissoko out for the remainder of the season with an option to buy in the summer, but with so many teams now vying for his signature, the Bianconeri will almost certainly have to put their money where their mouth is, and do so fast.

Havant and Waterlooville, the last remaining minor league club in the FA Cup, were handed the chance of a dream fourth-round tie with Liverpool at Anfield. Havant held third division leaders Swansea 1-1 away in their first appearance in the third round on Saturday, while Liverpool could only draw 1-1 at third division Luton Town. Both replays will be played next week. Holders Chelsea are away to Wigan Athletic, Manchester United - record 11-times winners - host Tottenham Hotspur or Reading while Arsenal are at home to Championship side Stoke City or Newcastle United. Oldham Athletic, who knocked out Everton, and Huddersfield Town, conquerors of Birmingham City, meet at Boundary Park in a clash between two teams who sit side by side in the middle of the third division. Huddersfield manager Andy Ritchie spent most of his playing days at Oldham, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, and also managed the Lancashire club. Mansfield, second-last in the third division and the lowest-ranked league side left in the competition, host Premier League Middlesbrough. The prospect of Havant playing at Anfield unsurprisingly went down well on the south coast. "Absolutely unbelievable, we have a lot of people here who are Liverpool supporters so we couldn't do better than that," club secretary Trevor Brock told Sky Sports News. "I think the next 10 days are going to be very busy here and what an incentive to try to get past Swansea. "We've been producing miracles all season to get through to this stage and we'll be giving it everything we can against Swansea. "It's been absolutely manic since Saturday and it's fantastic to be the last remaining non-league side." Manager Shaun Gale added: "It's potentially fantastic for everyone at the club, it's fairytale stuff for us but we've got a tough task against Swansea first. "Rocky Baptiste (scorer of the equaliser on Saturday) is a Liverpool fan, so I'm sure he'll be wanting to play there." The ties will be played over the weekend of Jan. 26/27.

Liverpool were last night poised to break their transfer record for a defender with the £7 million capture of Slovakia international Martin Skrtel - a move calculated to solve the club's centre-half crisis and reverse the decline in form that has left manager Rafael Benitez fearing for his job.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was defiant about his future with the club after seeing the Reds held to a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round at Luton Town.

He told reporters: "I love the club and the fans and want to stay.

"I have two years left on my contract and if I could stay for two years more, I would be very happy.

"I love the club, fans. I want to stay. We are working together trying to improve the squad now and for the future.

"All I think is that we scored a goal today and should have controlled the game, I don't need to answer questions about anything else.

"In the first half we had some chances and they had some chances. After we scored the goal, we conceded a goal three minutes later.

"I am happy because we will have another game at Anfield. That is positive.

"We are still in the cup and we will continue trying to win. I am confident it will be different at Anfield."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claims he has not yet written off Liverpool's Premier League title challenge.

Rafael Benitez's side have won just two of their last six games, but Wenger believes the race for the Premier League title remains a four-horse one between his side, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

"I wouldn't say it is completely (a three-way race)," he said.

"I still feel Liverpool are in the race but they cannot have any blips anymore.

"They are still a dangerous team. The disadvantage for them is that there are three teams in front of them who might not drop many points.

"I still don't dismiss them at this stage. It happened to us in 1997-98 and we made the ground up."

Ghanaian youngster keen on move to Premier League

By Lewis Rutledge Last updated: 6th January 2008

Ghanaian starlet Daniel Opare has admitted it would be a dream come true to play in the Premier League, amid speculation linking him with a switch to Liverpool.

Opare was rated the best defender at last summer's Under-17 World Cup.

Still only 17, he has already been called up to Ghana's senior team and has been likened in style to Brazilian great Cafu.

He currently plays for Ashanti Gold SC in his homeland and is under contract until 2010, but a host of top European sides are understood to be interested.

Real Madrid and Milan are among Opare's admirers, but he has hinted that he would prefer a move to the Premier League.

"I'm calm about my future, but to play in Europe will be to fulfil my dreams," Opare said in the News of the World.

"The Premier League is sensational."

Opare's enthusiasm for the English game will have been noted by Liverpool, who have reportedly been tracking his progress for some time.

The Reds could now decide to make an offer, although Ashanti have inserted a clause in his contract that will not allow him to move for less than £1.5million.

Liverpool's teenage defender set to play against Luton

Last updated: 5th January 2008

Teenage Liverpool defender Jack Hobbs is set to continue his footballing education against Luton in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

The 19-year-old has faced veterans Robbie Fowler, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Nicolas Anelka in his burgeoning career so far.

He is set to find himself again involved in the action in Sunday's game because of injury to Liverpool defenders Alvaro Arbeloa, Fabio Aurelio, Sami Hyypia and Daniel Agger.

"We will wait for medical reports but youngsters like Hobbs and Lucas Leiva could be involved," confirmed Reds boss Rafael Benitez.

Hobbs relished facing Hasselbaink and Fowler, whom he played against in the Carling Cup.

Great

The youngster reflected: "It was great to start that match and I learned a lot from facing Fowler and Hasselbaink.

"They may not be in their prime now but they had so much experience. I really had to be on my toes against them."

Hobbs played against Anelka when Jamie Carragher was injured in the home win over Bolton in early December.

Hobbs came on as a second-half substitute when Liverpool were 2-0 up.

He said: "One of my mates texted me afterwards and said I had Anelka in my pocket.

"That wasn't the case; he's one of the best around but he'd probably lost interest by the time I got on."

Confidence

Reflecting on his career so far, Hobbs added: "It gives me a lot of confidence that the manager has been willing to put me in the team.

"Now that I have played a few games it means he believes in me. I have got to pay back that trust by putting in good performances.

"Hopefully I will get the chance to do that in the second half of the season."

Benitez admits Liverpool have to narrow gap

By Lewis Rutledge Last updated: 6th January 2008

Rafa Benitez has admitted there is a gap between Liverpool and the top three in the Premier League, amid growing speculation about his future at Anfield.

Widespread reports suggest that Benitez could be set to move on in the summer after four years with the club.

The Spaniard's relationship with Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett has become strained this season and he is now understood to be preparing to leave England.

According to reports, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Internazionale and Milan are all tracking Benitez's situation with interest.

Benitez has been unable to lead Liverpool to Premier League glory and he concedes it has become increasingly difficult to compete with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal on the domestic front.

"If you analyse our performances, we have won the UEFA Champions League, reached the Champions league final, won the FA Cup and the European Super Cup, so we are close to United, Chelsea and Arsenal in a lot of things," he told the Sunday Mirror.

"But with the Premier League it is clear we are now a little bit behind the others and we need to work much harder to close the gap.

"It is easy to see why because people know the figures. Over a season there is massive difference between what we earn and what United earn - maybe £30million in gate money."

Liverpool begin their FA Cup campaign against Luton on Sunday and Benitez is confident his side can go all the way this season.

"I want to win the FA Cup, but not just for the owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

"I want to win because of what it means to the club, the fans and the owners. Winning always helps."

Benitez expects Anfield exit January 06 2008

Rafa Benitez reportedly believes he will be sacked by Liverpool at the end of the season - and Jose Mourinho is poised to replace him at Anfield.

While previous reports of Benitez's imminent demise have proved premature, the Sunday papers are united in their belief that the Spaniard is preparing to leave England after his spat with Liverpool's American owners proved terminal.

According to The Sunday People, 'Benitez will finally join Real Madrid in the summer - at the third time of asking. Benitez believes he is a dead man walking at Anfield following his war with the Kop's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.'

And a 'close friend' of Benitez is quoted as saying in the News of the World: "Rafa wants to stay but now he believes he will be sacked because the owners have not shown they will back him."

Should he depart, Benitez will not be short of alternative employment. Real Madrid are said to be keen on recruiting him, while the People claims that 'Top Italian sides Inter and AC Milan are hot on the Spaniard's heels, with Bayern Munich also massively impressed by the former Valencia chief'.

Martin O'Neill and Jurgen Klinsmann would most probably be installed as the favourites to move into the Anfield hot seat but, in an intriguing twist, The Observer leads with the claim that 'Jose Mourinho is growing increasingly restless in his search for a return to management and is monitoring the position of Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.'

Out of work since his dismissal by Chelsea in September, Mourinho has apparently become disenchanted with his prospects of returning to management with either Barcelona, Real Madrid or AC Milan.

According to The Observer, 'There has been no approach to Mourinho by the Americans, but Hicks and Gillett are understood to be actively considering replacement managers and are well aware of the abilities of the Portuguese, who discussed becoming Liverpool manager before joining Chelsea in 2004. Asked last night to comment on the pair's interest in employing Mourinho, Hicks declined.

'Mourinho's family were keen to live in London again when he was considering becoming England coach, although they do not hold the same enthusiasm about the wetter, colder and (in their view) less cosmopolitan North-West. 'Liverpool is not the same as London,' said a friend. 'But Liverpool is a big club and Jose loves English football. For now we have to wait.''