Roy Hodgson has been handed an instant boost as the new Liverpool manager after being told he will not have to sell prize assets Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, despite the club's financial difficulties. Supporters had feared the ex-Fulham boss would have to sell the duo this summer to help service debts. But chairman Martin Broughton assured Hodgson he will not have to offload any players.
"Players are not for sale," said Broughton. "We don't need the money and we don't have to sell them because of the debt."
Hodgson, who is not allowed to return to Fulham to sign any of his former players as part of his severance deal from the London club, admits he is facing one of the biggest challenges of his long managerial career but cannot wait to get started.
He has not discussed his transfer budget yet, but is expected to make several signings and knows he will come under immediate pressure to stop the rot at Anfield after replacing Rafael Benitez. The Spaniard quit Anfield last month after six years following a disappointing season that saw them finish seventh in the table.
"I expect the club and supporters to crave success and it's my job to make sure we deliver when it matters and not let them down," said Hodgson. He said he will speak to Gerrard and Jamie Carragher in the next week to discuss what went wrong on the pitch last season, and is determined he has the ability to transform the fortunes of the club.
Liverpool were the pre-eminent club in English football during the 1970s and 1980s. But they were last crowned champions of England in 1990 and have not won the domestic title in the Premier League era. Hodgson, 62, who has signed a three-year contract, said: "The number one priority is always the team. I want to help them do better and get back into the Champions League where the club has always been. My work will be on the field with the players and the training ground. I want to be a football manager and coach."
Earlier he was heralded as the "right man for the job," by club captain Gerrard while Carragher, the vice captain, said "his appointment has given us all a lift," he said.
Hodgson said it was important to the club to keep hold of the two key players. "I personally can't nail their feet to the floor, but I can persuade them to stay here and have a good season because there is everything to play for. The club is anxious to keep best players and we will do everything in our power to make it happen," he said.
Hodgson won plaudits last season for guiding lightly regarded Fulham to the final of the UEFA Europa League, the successor to the UEFA Cup, beating Italian giants Juventus along the way. He had previously steered the west London club to an unprecedented seventh-place finish in the Premier League in 2008/09 and last term kept the Cottagers in mid-table despite their European commitments.
Named by his fellow league managers as manager of the year, Hodgson had been linked with England after their disappointing FIFA World Cup™ campaign under Fabio Capello, but negotiations were already at an advanced stage with the Merseysiders who moved to close the deal with speed.
Unlike many English counterparts, Hodgson has spent much of his managerial career abroad, having started with Swedish side Halmstad in 1976. He enjoyed instant success, leading them to two Swedish titles and would later coach Malmo after a brief stint with Bristol City. He has also been in charge of Inter Milan and Premier League Blackburn while, at international level, he has also had stints as manager of Switzerland, Finland and the United Arab Emirates.
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