Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Liverpool Set To Make £13m Bid For South American Wing Wizard

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is on red alert after the latest comments coming out from Gaston Ramirez's representatives.

According to reports on Insidefutbol.com, Liverpool have been monitoring Uruguayan international winger Ramirez for sometime now and it is believed the Anfield club are plotting a move when the January transfer window opens.

La Liga side Sevilla is also interested in the 20-year-old, but it is felt Liverpool are leading the chase for Ramirez.

The Uruguayan is currently with Serie A side Bologna and it is believed they will be willing to part with their prized asset if their £13million valuation is met.

Speaking about Ramirez, his agent Vincenzo D'Ippolito said: "The directors of his team know that if not in January, he will leave next summer because there are many clubs interested."

Kenny Awaits Deal For Marco Bueno

Liverpool will wait until Mexican teenage striker Marco Bueno turns 18 next year before stepping up their bid to sign him.

The Reds entered the race to sign one of the stars of this summer's World Under-17 championships in July and brought the Pachuca player over for a ten-day trial in August.

But Bueno returned without penning a contract and made his first-team debut for the Mexican top flight club over the weekend.

However, newspaper reports in central America claim Liverpool plan to sign Bueno when he comes of age on March 31 next year.

Andres Fassi, sports vice president of Pachuca, said: "We received a letter last week from Liverpool, who wants the player to go there when he turns 18.

"Maybe Liverpool will then make an offer, but that would not be until he is 18 years old, when FIFA's laws allow."

Liverpool & Manchester City Looking At US Starlet

Liverpool and Manchester City have joined the race to sign 21-year-old American international Brek Shea.

Scouts from both teams are believed to have watched his performance in the 1-0 victory against Honduras over the weekend where Shea set up the game's only goal.

The promising youngster from FC Dallas can play in midfield or up front and is highly regarded by USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

"There are some exciting youngsters coming through the ranks but Shea is definitely the one to watch. He is fast, physical, creative and with an incredible work rate," Klinsmann said.

But City and Liverpool face stiff competition to sign the attacker, with Chelsea and German outfit Schalke 04 also interested.

Henderson Eyes Starting Spot

Jordan Henderson has declared himself satisfied with the start to his Liverpool career but now hopes to kick on and start against Manchester United on Saturday.

The England Under-21 international made the move to Anfield over the summer from Sunderland and is happy with the way he has adapted to his new surroundings.

However, competition for places under Kenny Dalglish is fierce and Henderson started on the bench as the Reds claimed victory over Everton before the international break.

The midfielder recognizes that he must therefore keep striving for improvement as he looks to establish himself as a regular in the side.

"I think I have settled in okay. I am enjoying my time there and the lads have been brilliant, as well as the fans," he told Sky Sports News ahead of captaining England Under-21s against Norway on Monday night.

"I now need to kick on and do even better."

Steven Gerrard's return to fitness has given Dalglish an extra option in midfield but Henderson does not necessarily believe that will keep him out of the side.

"Hopefully not. I am not really worried about that, I think it's part and parcel of football," he said.

"Obviously Stevie is a massive player and is going to play in most games, but I just need to concentrate on what I need to do and make sure I work hard every day in training.

"Given the opportunity, I need to take it and make sure I stay in the team."

Henderson hopes to be selected for the visit of Manchester United to Anfield on Saturday, after admitting it was frustrating to miss out on the Merseyside derby.

"Obviously the derby is a massive game and everybody wants to play in it, so I was a little bit disappointed not to start, but the team did brilliantly and got a great result and I was fortunate to come on as well," he said.

"There were still a lot of positives to come out of the game and hopefully I can start the next one."

Craig Bellamy Race Row Probed

Wales and Liverpool star Craig Bellamy is at the centre of an investigation after he was called a “sheep-sh***er” by fans.

Bellamy was allegedly the victim of “inhuman, degrading and vile” taunts by rival fans during Liverpool’s Carling Cup match at Brighton last month.

A complaint was lodged with the group ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out’.

An FA spokesman said that they are “aware of this complaint”, as are Brighton.

Bellamy’s Welsh team-mate, black defender Ashley Williams, vowed abusive racist chants will not affect him in Bulgaria tomorrow.

The Bulgarian FA is the subject of a UEFA inquiry after racist chants were allegedly aimed at Ashley Young during England’s qualifier last month.

Wales’ European Championship clash is the first game in the Levski Stadium since that night.

Williams said: “You get a lot of stick at away grounds anyway, so you’ve got to be big enough to deal with it.”

Duo Feature In England Win

Adam Morgan and Conor Coady both featured as England U19s rounded off their participation in the Limoges tournament with a 3-1 win over Ukraine on Sunday afternoon.

Morgan, who struck the winner in Friday's 1-0 triumph over Portugal, was named in the starting XI by Noel Blake but did not get on the scoresheet during a 57 minute run out.

Coady came off the bench to play the final 18 minutes of the contest while Jack Robinson was an unused substitute.

Reds Announce New Partnership

Liverpool FC continues to grow its Partner portfolio with the announcement of a new three-year partnership with the dynamic mid-market hotel chain Park Inn by Radisson.

The partnership will see the Club working with Park Inn by Radisson to help raise their profile by engaging LFC's supporters up and down the country.

Ian Ayre, Liverpool FC Managing Director, said: "By teaming up with successful companies we can support mutual goals more effectively and Park Inn by Radisson is a forward thinking, progressive business that shares our values.

"We are excited about working with a brand that has such an innovative and fresh approach to business and the Club will provide Park Inn by Radisson with significant brand visibility and access to our supporter base across the UK."

Eric De Neef, Senior Vice President, Park Inn by Radisson, added: "Our 23 Park Inn by Radisson hotels across the country are perfect for away fans travelling to matches; for business, or for weekend breaks. All of them offer a hassle-free stay in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere - we look forward to welcoming Liverpool FC's supporter base."

Hillsborough Debate Scheduled For Next Monday In House of Commons

The House of Commons will hold its first full-scale debate on the Hillsborough tragedy next Monday.

It will also be the first in response to an e-petition after almost 140,000 people – 40,000 more than the qualifying number – backed calls for a parliamentary discussion on the grounds of clear public interest.

Walton MP Steve Rotheram then convinced the cross-party business committee the terms of the e-petition’s motion must be debated and, barring a last-minute government climbdown, voted upon.

The motion calls for all government documents pertaining to the disaster, including cabinet minutes and No 10 discussion papers, to be released in an “unredacted, unedited and uncensored form” to the Hillsborough families and the independent panel currently scrutinizing unseen documents relating to the tragedy.

The government, which appealed in the high court against full disclosure, insists it has every intention of releasing all papers to the panel.

But ministers have kept a get-out clause which could allow them to invoke precedence curbs on cabinet minutes from the time when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister.

Mr. Rotheram believes his debate will put irresistible pressure on ministers.

He said: “It has taken 22 years, which is far too long, but at long last momentum is on our side.

“We need to ensure ministers fulfil their obligations because the families have been let down so many times previously.”

Mr. Rotheram won the debate largely because 96 fellow MPs – the number was purely coincidental – backed his move.

They were from nine parties – the three mainstream ones and others from Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland parties – and included every Merseyside MP, former ministers, and those spanning both the left and right wing.

The debate will start at 7pm next Monday and will last three hours.

Unless the minister responding – most likely home secretary Theresa May – agrees to the motion, there will then be a Commons vote.

That is expected to be overwhelmingly behind the Hillsborough families because few MPs will want to be seen voting against.

Such a vote would mean, under parliamentary rules, the files could be released in full within a day or two – unless ministers try to appeal again.