Garry Cook, the chief executive of Manchester City, has sparked fury at Anfield by claiming that Liverpool approached Roberto Mancini with a view to the Italian replacing Rafael Benítez as manager.
Cook’s latest controversial comments have landed him in hot water with the Liverpool hierarchy, who have refused to comment. Privately, however, they have not been impressed by his outburst.
The City chief executive has been at the centre of a storm of negative publicity after the sacking of Mark Hughes last Saturday and the subsequent appointment of Mancini as manager. In particular, Cook was criticised after he claimed that Mancini had not been offered the job until last Thursday, but it has emerged that the decision to replace Hughes had been taken three weeks ago.
Cook used Liverpool’s approach to Jürgen Klinsmann as a potential replacement for Benítez two years ago as evidence that clubs often have managerial successors lined up before the incumbent has been dismissed.
“It is naive to think that clubs are not looking at their options,” Cook said. “Of course they are. Do we think that Liverpool just talked to Klinsmann? I am sure they also spoke to others, and I have no doubt that Roberto Mancini was one of them. Of course he would have been.”
Shortly after talks were held with Klinsmann, in November 2007, Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, confessed that an approach had been made to the German, but said it was only as a contingency in case Benítez left the club to join Real Madrid.
At the time, Liverpool were not linked with any other manager nor was there any evidence that they had launched a recruitment offensive, with agents employed to sound out potential successors to the Spaniard.
Benítez will also see Cook’s comments as an unnecessary distraction as he attempts to reinvigorate Liverpool’s flagging fortunes.
Cook’s latest controversial comments have landed him in hot water with the Liverpool hierarchy, who have refused to comment. Privately, however, they have not been impressed by his outburst.
The City chief executive has been at the centre of a storm of negative publicity after the sacking of Mark Hughes last Saturday and the subsequent appointment of Mancini as manager. In particular, Cook was criticised after he claimed that Mancini had not been offered the job until last Thursday, but it has emerged that the decision to replace Hughes had been taken three weeks ago.
Cook used Liverpool’s approach to Jürgen Klinsmann as a potential replacement for Benítez two years ago as evidence that clubs often have managerial successors lined up before the incumbent has been dismissed.
“It is naive to think that clubs are not looking at their options,” Cook said. “Of course they are. Do we think that Liverpool just talked to Klinsmann? I am sure they also spoke to others, and I have no doubt that Roberto Mancini was one of them. Of course he would have been.”
Shortly after talks were held with Klinsmann, in November 2007, Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, confessed that an approach had been made to the German, but said it was only as a contingency in case Benítez left the club to join Real Madrid.
At the time, Liverpool were not linked with any other manager nor was there any evidence that they had launched a recruitment offensive, with agents employed to sound out potential successors to the Spaniard.
Benítez will also see Cook’s comments as an unnecessary distraction as he attempts to reinvigorate Liverpool’s flagging fortunes.
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