Friday, January 01, 2010

Rafa Benitez Eyes Spending Spree As Liverpool Boss Prepares For The January Transfer Window


Rafa Benitez has revealed he is looking to boost his squad in the January transfer window.

The Liverpool boss is under serious pressure to finish in the top four and reclaim their place in the lucrative Champions League.

Aside from his star players Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, the Reds have been short on attacking power this season and they are likely to pursue reinforcements up front.

'We are working hard and trying to do our jobs, and we'll see if we can do something,' said Benitez.

'We are looking in the market but it's not easy to find good players available because the majority of them are playing in top sides. But we are trying to find solutions if we can.

'We have some good players who people are interested in because they're not playing too many games, but we have to manage carefully.'

Benitez is interested in signing former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy on a six-month loan deal.

It would be a controversial move to bring the Real Madrid veteran to Anfield but his huge wages could prove to be a stumbling block.

Another target is Tottenham outcast Roman Pavlyuchenko, who has been told he can leave White Hart Lane. A swap deal involving Liverpool misfit Ryan Babel is one possibility.

Meanwhile, Benitez has highlighted the importance of the FA Cup following Liverpool's shock exit from the Champions League group stages last month.

They travel to Championship strugglers Reading on Saturday desperate to land a piece of silverware this season.

'It's always been important but you know that when you're out of the Champions League, the people think about silverware and the FA Cup is very, very important for us,' Benitez added.

'We want to progress, we want to go as far as we can. We'll have to analyse and consider what to do and we still have another training session. We'll see how the players are but maybe we won't change too many.

'We know we're playing against Tottenham eight days later, so we'll have time. We can put a strong team out. Always in the FA Cup it's really important to do things right. Everyone wants to win and it's a massive competition, so we have to be ready.'

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