Rafa Bennitez is on a mission to plug the Anfield fame drain which has seen stars like Jack Rodwell, Aaron Ramsey and Darren Fletcher slip through the net.
Rodwell played against Liverpool on Sunday in the Merseyside derby – a constant, painful reminder to Kop boss Benitez of the calibre of teenage starlets he has been denied – with Merseyside neighbours Everton beating them to his signature.
It’s understood Ramsey was also close to becoming a Liverpool player before they lost out to Arsenal because of behind-the-scenes dithering.
Fletcher escaped the Anfield clutches, too, and ended up in the grateful arms of bitter rivals Manchester United.
But Benitez is now hell-bent on securing such obvious talent in the future and has definitely adopted a more hands-on approach to the club’s academy since the departure of old Kop idol Steve Heighway.
The arrival of Kenny Dalglish has taken the academy to another level in terms of status and Benitez believes that promising kids will be attracted by such a famous figurehead.
It’s Benitez’s new ‘baby’ which he hopes will produce stars of the future over the next fi ve years of his contract, when his Liverpool dynasty will be a giant step closer to completion.
Benitez knows he can’t compete cash-wise with the likes of United and Chelsea, so discovering a golden nugget or two is the way ahead for him and Liverpool.
He said: “When I was discussing my new contract, people were saying it was about money. It wasn’t. I had better offers in terms of money.
“It wasn’t power either. I didn’t need more power. Before Rick Parry left I could do more or less what I wanted, although I couldn’t sign more players because sometimes it was the lack of money or we were too slow.
“I have the same control as I had before. But the difference now is the academy. I have an influence and people in the academy I can trust. The philosophy of the club is now the same. We are working together.
“I’m not stupid. If we have more Jamie Carraghers, more Steven Gerrards, it will be better and easier because the motivation and the commitment will be there.
“The message now is that we have Kenny Dalglish and his team and we are trying to do something which makes sense. It’s common sense. We couldn’t change things for five years and now we can.”
It’s the arrival of Dalglish which has certainly put a spring in Benitez’s step and given him more hope than ever before that his squad will be strengthened from within without gambling on foreign imports.
Benitez added: “This is the beginning for me. We are thinking about Kenny Dalglish as someone who can bring a lot of people into the club.
“They will think that if Kenny’s there – and he’s a legend – then something is right. We brought him in because with his experience he can certainly help.
“He has been with us around Europe and we have had a lot of conversations. He has had some contact, some meetings with people and young players who want to come. To see Kenny there is amazing.
“But afterwards we have to give them something more and we are doing that. We have improved the equipment and the coaching 100 per cent. And we are now at the beginning of something which can be really good for the team.
“If we can produce three, four, five players from our system that means a massive difference in terms of money.
“When you commit to your club for five years and you know you don’t have the same money available as some of the top sides in England, you know if you are to compete you have to produce local players.
“It’s something very simple to say but it’s not very easy to do. These players don’t grow on trees but I’m clear that we will be even better in the future.”
Rodwell played against Liverpool on Sunday in the Merseyside derby – a constant, painful reminder to Kop boss Benitez of the calibre of teenage starlets he has been denied – with Merseyside neighbours Everton beating them to his signature.
It’s understood Ramsey was also close to becoming a Liverpool player before they lost out to Arsenal because of behind-the-scenes dithering.
Fletcher escaped the Anfield clutches, too, and ended up in the grateful arms of bitter rivals Manchester United.
But Benitez is now hell-bent on securing such obvious talent in the future and has definitely adopted a more hands-on approach to the club’s academy since the departure of old Kop idol Steve Heighway.
The arrival of Kenny Dalglish has taken the academy to another level in terms of status and Benitez believes that promising kids will be attracted by such a famous figurehead.
It’s Benitez’s new ‘baby’ which he hopes will produce stars of the future over the next fi ve years of his contract, when his Liverpool dynasty will be a giant step closer to completion.
Benitez knows he can’t compete cash-wise with the likes of United and Chelsea, so discovering a golden nugget or two is the way ahead for him and Liverpool.
He said: “When I was discussing my new contract, people were saying it was about money. It wasn’t. I had better offers in terms of money.
“It wasn’t power either. I didn’t need more power. Before Rick Parry left I could do more or less what I wanted, although I couldn’t sign more players because sometimes it was the lack of money or we were too slow.
“I have the same control as I had before. But the difference now is the academy. I have an influence and people in the academy I can trust. The philosophy of the club is now the same. We are working together.
“I’m not stupid. If we have more Jamie Carraghers, more Steven Gerrards, it will be better and easier because the motivation and the commitment will be there.
“The message now is that we have Kenny Dalglish and his team and we are trying to do something which makes sense. It’s common sense. We couldn’t change things for five years and now we can.”
It’s the arrival of Dalglish which has certainly put a spring in Benitez’s step and given him more hope than ever before that his squad will be strengthened from within without gambling on foreign imports.
Benitez added: “This is the beginning for me. We are thinking about Kenny Dalglish as someone who can bring a lot of people into the club.
“They will think that if Kenny’s there – and he’s a legend – then something is right. We brought him in because with his experience he can certainly help.
“He has been with us around Europe and we have had a lot of conversations. He has had some contact, some meetings with people and young players who want to come. To see Kenny there is amazing.
“But afterwards we have to give them something more and we are doing that. We have improved the equipment and the coaching 100 per cent. And we are now at the beginning of something which can be really good for the team.
“If we can produce three, four, five players from our system that means a massive difference in terms of money.
“When you commit to your club for five years and you know you don’t have the same money available as some of the top sides in England, you know if you are to compete you have to produce local players.
“It’s something very simple to say but it’s not very easy to do. These players don’t grow on trees but I’m clear that we will be even better in the future.”
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