Steven Gerrard's patience with Liverpool finally snapped last night over their sluggishness in offering him a contract improvement, and the inspirational captain who cradled the European Cup in his arms 40 days ago now appears destined for Chelsea or Real Madrid. Training-ground spats, negotiating-room stand-offs and civil war now engulf Anfield.
The Kop will be in uproar today at the suggestion that the dithering of chief executive Rick Parry and perceived ambivalence of manager Rafa Benitez has sent their mightiest warrior hurtling out of Anfield into the eager embrace of Champions League rivals. Big clubs cannot lose such big players.
Gerrard, who had a serious dis-agreement with Benitez at training on Saturday afternoon, is a proud individual who does not like being messed around and he is known to be angry over the stance of Parry and Benitez. Having struggled to get Parry to agree a date for contract discussions, Gerrard decided yesterday he had had enough, that even if Liverpool came to him today saying they would meet immediately to sort out a new deal he would tell them: "No chance".
It will take a huge concerted effort on Liverpool's part, buttuming the desire exists, to make Gerrard stay. He has withdrawn from all dialogue with Parry. Gerrard's camp insist these are not scare tactics, that their intentions are real: the England international has one foot outside Anfield.
Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea coach who nearly signed Gerrard last summer, will be delighted by the weekend's developments. A central midfield featuring the England pairing of Gerrard and Frank Lampard, anchored by Claude Makelele, could help to bring the champions joy in Europe.
Gerrard a twatPMD All well and good, yes ,let me first say I think Gerrard is a bit of a twat also, for several reasons. There is little doubt that he rates himself far higher than his...
Liverpool, who harbour dreams of reclaiming the English title, would be loathe to sell to Premiership opponents and Gerrard initially indicated he would find it difficult to play against his home-town club in the league. Yet the Merseysider is now so aggrieved at Anfield's handling of his contract situation that he is minded to decide where he is heading, and staying within England would appeal more to someone of Gerrard's character. Chelsea have the money, the ambition and the known interest.
So do Real Madrid. The kings of the Castellana are invariably linked with the hottest footballing properties and Gerrard's falling-out with Liverpool will be closely monitored by the Bernabeu hierarchy. More trophy-winning gladiator than shirt-selling galactico, Gerrard is just the type of leader and motivator that Real's midfield craves. Upstaged in style and substance by Barcelona, Madrid are desperate to reimpose themselves on Spain and Europe and they know that Gerrard could be the catalyst.
Real have signed Osasuna's tackle-happy midfielder, Pablo Garcia, yet anyone who knows Gerrard appreciates that he is best raiding forward from a midfield station patrolled by a more defensive counterpart. Whether he would really consider moving abroad is a serious issue for someone like Gerrard. A possible stumbling block might be if Madrid were to sell his friend, Michael Owen, when Robinho arrives from Santos.
The fact that Real and Chelsea have been given such encouragement over Gerrard will be seen as Liverpool's fault. Gerrard and his trusted adviser, Struan Marshall, of agents SFX, could have sat down with Parry and wrapped up a deal in a couple of hours. Gerrard, though mindful of his value to employers, is neither greedy nor complicated to deal with.
Two schools of thought are being applied to Liverpool's perplexing tardiness. One suggestion is that they are impoverished and are stalling to make Gerrard accept a lesser financial package. Yet sources close to the club insist that money is not an issue. If that is true, the blame shifts from Parry to Benitez, who may not see Gerrard as an irreplaceable cog in his midfield.
Xabi Alonso, a wonderful signing by Benitez, can also set the team's tempo, yet those tens of thousands who made Istanbul such a special place to be almost six weeks ago will remember it was Gerrard who galvanised the side against AC Milan.
For all the pbutting guile of Spaniards like Alonso, home-grown players like Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are the heartbeat of Liverpool. Gerrard attended Carragher's wedding on Friday and was given permission to skip training on Saturday, yet still went in to work out. He encountered Benitez and was disappointed by the manager's attitude. Today's press conference to unveil new signing Bolo Zenden should be lively.
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~PMD~ *****
