Roy Hodgson Insists Champions League Qualification Is Still Achievable

Roy Hodgson believes Liverpool still has a chance of qualifying for the Champions League this season.

Despite getting off to their worst start to a campaign for 57 years, the Reds now sit ninth in the table and are nine points off fourth-placed Chelsea.

And although Hodgson admits a challenge for a place in the top four will be difficult, he says he is working on closing the gap on their rivals.

"We are in a position to strike for the top four but we are a good few points off," he told reporters.

"Some people would say it is pie in the sky to suggest we can do it but I don't think there is such a thing as pie in the sky in terms of football.

"I have seen so many times in the past teams who have been doomed to relegation not get relegated and teams like Leeds United many years ago who were so obviously going to win the First Division and didn't do so.

"Everything is possible and while things are possible we will play for them but we are realistic and we are not making any vain promises.

"We know we have given ourselves a severe handicap but we will work to bring in that handicap."

However, Hodgson believes he will need backing in the transfer market if he is to steer Liverpool up the table.

"If the players are available that we have targeted and think could make us a better team then it would help us shape the team a lot quicker than maybe will be the case otherwise," he added.

"We are anxious any players we bring in are the right ones and the right ones for the long-term future.

"It is important they are better than the players we have got, because I think the players we have got are better than they have shown on occasions.

"But I fear the type of player we feel we need to improve our team will not be available in January, even if money was available."

Blackpool Pitch Set For Inspection

Blackpool will hold a pitch inspection three hours before their scheduled 3pm kick-off against Liverpool on Boxing Day to see if the match can go ahead.

The Seasiders do not have undersoil heating at Bloomfield Road and despite covering the pitch there is still some doubt over whether the surface will be playable.

"Ground staff at Bloomfield Road have been working throughout the night and will continue to work round the clock to try to ensure that the fixture takes place," said a statement on blackpoolfc.co.uk.

"While it has been well documented that the club does not have undersoil heating, several industrial hot air blowers have been sourced along with additional frost protection covers.

"The timing of the pitch inspection has been made in consultation with the Barclays Premier League, match referee Mike Oliver and officials from Liverpool.

"Club officials remain in regular contact with all parties and will continue to monitor the weather forecasts over the next 48 hours."

Liverpool Step Up Chase For Napoli Midfielder

Liverpool have stepped up their pursuit of Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik, according to reports in his native Slovakia.

Former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez was keen on signing the 23-year-old playmaker during his time at the club. But it is thought his summer departure has done nothing to dampen Liverpool's interest.

Damien Comolli, the club's new director of football strategy, has reportedly identified Hamsik - often compared to Czech Republic legend Pavel Nedved - as a key transfer target.

Liverpool are not the only team considering an offer for the £12m-rated star, but Napoli insist no decision will be made on his sale until the end of the season.

Premier League Big Guns On Alert As Benfica Stars Set For Exit

Benfica manager Jorge Jesus admits he is resigned to losing his star players in the summer if not January.

Three of Benfica's first-team have been targeted by Premier League clubs and it is thought the Portuguese champions are bracing themselves for New Year bids.

Chelsea and Manchester City have both been linked with moves for defenders David Luiz and Fabio Coentrao while Liverpool are thought to be in the hunt for Benfica's Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo.

Last summer, Benfica lost key players Ramires to Chelsea and Angel Di Maria to Real Madrid and Jesus is expecting a re-run.

"It is inevitable that players will leave this team in January, or at the end of the season," he told the Portuguese press.

"None of the three big clubs in Portugal have the capacity to ensure their best men stay.

"Last year we lost Ramires and Di Maria and this season will be the same."

Roy Cools Jovanovic Exit Talk

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has played down talk that he is prepared to sell Milan Jovanovic in next month's transfer window.

Reports over the weekend claimed Jovanovic had been placed on the transfer list as Liverpool look to offload the Serbian just six months after his arrival on Merseyside.

Jovanovic has failed to impress since joining on a free transfer from Standard Liege and has found himself playing a bit-part role at Anfield.

A number of clubs in Germany and Turkey are thought to be monitoring Jovanovic's situation, but Hodgson insists the versatile forward will only leave if they receive a suitable offer.

"Jovanovic, as far as I am concerned, is a Liverpool player and will be until such time as he decides to leave or someone comes in and makes us an offer we can't refuse," noted Hodgson.

Aurelio Aims To Stake Claim

Liverpool full-back Fabio Aurelio is determined to stay injury-free during 2011.

The Brazilian's time at Anfield has been hampered by injury and this season he has been restricted to just four starts due to some further niggling injuries since re-signing for the club back in the summer.

But the 31-year-old, who initially signed for the Reds from Valencia in 2006, hopes his fitness issues are now behind him and is hoping to play a major role over the coming weeks.

"Looking at the past, staying injury-free could be a good target for me," he told the club's official website.

"But in the last few months I've grown stronger and I'm playing more minutes, so maybe I can have other targets too.

"I feel good and want to play more minutes and games. My confidence is improving as well as my match fitness, so maybe that's my target in the New Year."

Aurelio was set to leave Liverpool in the summer after rejecting a pay-as-you-play deal but he was offered a lifeline after Roy Hodgson replaced Rafa Benitez as manager.

The full-back signed a new two-year contract and although he admits it has been tough to keep battling back from injury, he believes it is a fresh start for him at Anfield.

"It would be easy to give up, especially with all the problems I've been having," he added.

"Now I feel I'm starting again. I signed the new contract in the summer and it is like starting again. I'm hoping this new phase at Liverpool can be better than the last one."

Hodgson will have to call on his fringe players as Liverpool face a busy schedule of five games in 15 days heading into the New Year and Aurelio is eager for a chance to impress.

"We have a lot of games to come because people like me are looking for opportunities and maybe this is the time of year to get it," he said.

"It's difficult for all the players to be involved in all of the games. Hopefully I can be involved and the team can get the points to push on.

"We have three or four games in 10 days more or less, so if we get the results, we can start the New Year in a much better situation."

Roy Hodgson Has Faith In Fernando Torres

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson believes that his star striker Fernando Torres will soon rediscover the form that made him one of the best goalscorers in the world.

Even last season, despite struggling with injuries, Torres managed 22 goals and finished as the club's top scorer. The 26-year-old seems to have lost his touch in recent times, scoring only five goals so far in the current season of the Premier League.

Hodgson however denies that the striker is struggling and insists it is only a matter of time until Torres becomes one of the Premier League's greatest goal threats.

"The case all through the season is we have not been very lucky in front of goal. I don't think our goal return is not a fair measure of what we have created." The manager told FIFA.com.

"We have had our chances, we have created the danger but we have not converted as many of those occasions as we should have done and it is something we have worked on.

"The players are very aware of it because we do have goalscorers in the team and have one of Europe's best in Fernando Torres.

"He does not need reminding of when he misses a goal chance because I bet he can remember every chance he has missed over the last three to four months because they stay with people.

"The important thing is your players keep getting in the right positions and if we can keep getting Fernando into areas where he can score goals he will score goals."

Carragher Seeks Early Return

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is pushing hard for a swift return after surgery on a dislocated shoulder but the club's medical team is having to rein in his expectations.

Carragher, the club's vice-captain, has been out of action since sustaining the injury in the defeat to Tottenham in late November and undergoing an operation to rectify the problem.

He was told he would be out for three months but Carragher, 33 in January, is determined to return sooner.

"Jamie is still nine weeks away from coming back, if we are to believe the doctors, but knowing Jamie it would not surprise me if those nine weeks became less than that," Roy Hodgson said earlier this week.

Head of sports science and medicine Dr Peter Brukner says Carragher is working hard to come back earlier.

"Jamie is making good progress and as you can imagine he is pushing things to the limit to get back but we are still on target for a February return," he said.

"It still takes time for the surgery to heal and for him to get strong enough around the shoulder, but he's already working on his fitness and when he does come back he should be able to slot straight back in.

"Jamie is desperate to play and if it was up to him he would throw the sling away and get out there, but we are pushing as hard as we can to help Jamie but it does take time for these tissues to heal."

Roy Hodgson Dismisses Talk Of Wanting Revenge Against Blackpool

Roy Hodgson insists Liverpool’s Boxing Day clash with Blackpool is not about revenge following his side's 2-1 loss at Anfield back in October.

The Reds suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Ian Holloway’s newly-promoted side, but revenge is not on the cards for the Reds' boss. Hodgson believes after the low point of the defeat his side’s performances have seen a marked improvement.

"You [the media] can use the word revenge," said Hodgson.

"Having lost at home we would want to make certain that they suffer a similar home defeat and we get our share of points with them.

"But I don't talk about revenge. I talk about what we need to do to win the game and how we need to play.

"The word revenge does not come into my vocabulary but it will come into a lot of other people's when they are talking about the game.

"I think revenge is a word which belongs in mafia circles rather than football circles.

"It [the Blackpool defeat] was a low point. We were expected to waltz all over this newcomer but not only did we not do it we actually ended up losing the game after a very good performance from them.

"I don't know if that was anything like a watershed as far as we are concerned but I do think over the course of time we have improved our play.

"I don't think it will be as easy for Blackpool to get three points on Sunday as it was for them in that game when we gave them a two-goal head start."

Hodgson wants Liverpool to bounce back quickly following defeat in their last match at Newcastle United, and insists his side can use that defeat to spur them on.

"I don't think you should put things out of your mind very quickly," added the 63-year-old.

"My job is to analyze and make decisions and of course I watched the [Newcastle] game again as I tried to make certain my initial feelings and reactions after the game were backed up by the video evidence of the match.

"There is no doubt that defeats affect you longer than victories but I am very conscious of the need to make sure that you don't get too euphoric after victories and allow that to change your priorities.

"By the same token it is important you do not allow your mood to sink so low that it affects what needs to be done.

"What needs to be done is that training sessions after victories or defeats need to be the same quality and same focus and the only way that can be done is if you get your mind back into some sort of equilibrium."

He added: "You dwell for a day or two and then you have to put things behind you.

"If you had the type of players who dwelt for weeks on end on bad and good results you would find it difficult to complete the 55 to 60 matches in a season.

"Every now and again we will play games where we are dissatisfied and we have to put that into context with the matches where we are satisfied.

"We were pretty satisfied after playing well and beating Aston Villa but against Newcastle it was a different feeling."

Liverpool will boosted for the trip to Blackpool by the return of captain Steven Gerrard from a hamstring injury sustained back in November.

Hodgson To Target Quality Rather Than Quantity

Roy Hodgson says he will put Liverpool’s long-term health before his need for immediate results in next month’s transfer window as he admitted the club must learn from their wasteful strategy of recent years.

Next month will provide the first test of New England Sports Ventures’ largesse in the transfer market since buying Liverpool for €415 million in October. The manager is adamant top-class additions are needed for the club to regain a place in the Champions League and is under pressure to prove to NESV that he can deliver a top-four finish.

Hodgson, however, believes Liverpool’s predicament owes much to a short-term, expensive transfer strategy that existed before his arrival and is anxious to avoid repeating those mistakes, even if a lack of spending invites further criticism of his tenure. “When you get a job like this, should you be working for the long-term good of Liverpool or trying to get an extra result or two for Roy Hodgson?” he asked. “I’d like to think I am big enough and confident enough to take the long-term view, even though it might work against me.

“I might even prefer that in some ways because I would be very disappointed if I went out in January and spent a lot of money on the wrong players and then, come the summer, we are no better off. All we would be doing is adding a few more players who we don’t think are good enough for the roster. I would be disappointed if I did that. I can’t guarantee it won’t happen but it is not my intention.”

Hodgson admits NESV have not provided unlimited resources for next month and that he and Damien Comolli, the club’s director of football strategy, must convince John W Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool’s owner and chairman respectively, their targets are sound investments.

But he says the calibre of player Liverpool need – such as Aston Villa’s Ashley Young – may not be available and he will not flood the squad with average talents.

That was a criticism often levelled at Hodgson’s predecessor, Rafael Benitez, whom NESV has no intention of inviting back to Anfield should a managerial vacancy arise.

“There’s no doubt I and Damien are pushing the owners to back us if we come up with the right people,” Hodgson said. “I think they probably will. The big question is will those players become available? Quite frankly we are targeting players that other clubs don’t want to lose.

“I realize we need better players to become a top-four team again but those players are not easy to find and it would be a mistake to buy just because we have had a bad start to this season.”

Liverpool Consider £9 Million Deal For Injured European Hot Shot

Utrecht striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel is back on Roy Hodgson’s transfer wishlist despite being injured, according to reports.

The Dutch striker has 11 goals in 18 games in the Eredivisie for a mid table side and eight more in 12 cup and European games.

Van Wolfswinkel, though, endured a torrid game at Anfield last week playing as the lone front man and being marked out of the game then sustaining a broken collarbone in an innocuous looking challenge.

The injury is likely to keep him out until after the January transfer window so Liverpool will have to either take a calculated gamble or wait until the summer.

Hodgson has made a striker his top priority next month in order to give Fernando Torres some much needed respite.

The Liverpool board is unlikely to sanction the £9 million signing if he fails his medical but Tuttomercato are claiming they will offer that amount nonetheless.

The 21-year-old has been linked with a switch to Anfield since the summer but no move materialized and Liverpool have struggled for goals so far this season.

Other strikers to have been linked with Liverpool include Mario Gomez, Carlton Cole and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Liverpool In Top Flight Fight For Out-Of-Contract 'Next Vieira'

Liverpool face stiff competition from Aston Villa and Chelsea in the race to sign French starlet Gueida Fofana.

The 19-year-old Le Havre midfielder is set to leave the Ligue 1 outfit with his contract expiring in the summer, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is one of the managers who has taken an interest in the player.

Reds boss Hodgson was linked with the player in the summer after his late Anfield arrival, and the appointment of Damien Comolli as the Director of Football strategy at Liverpool has done nothing to prevent the rumours of a move for the French starlet.

The Daily Mail reports that Villa are in the strongest position for the player though, with Gerard Houllier reportedly in discussions with Les Ciel et Marine as a potential bargain January deal is attempted to be struck between the two parties.

Liverpool were thought to be keen on waiting until the summer, or in a best-case-scenario signing the player on a pre-contract agreement in the opening month of 2011.

Captain of the French U19 side, Fofana is seen as the starlet of a promising Les Bleus crop, and his signature would be seen as a coup for Liverpool could they prize him away from the Villains' grasp.

Hodgson is thought to have money to spend following the arrival of NESV on Merseyside, and Liverpool could also look to buy the player in a further effort to beat off Barclays Premier League competition.

Liverpool Lining Up Move For Robert Huth

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is looking to end the club’s defensive injury crisis by signing Stoke City centre-back Robert Huth in January, according to The Mirror.

The 26-year-old has become a permanent fixture in the Potters’ back line since joining for £6 million from Middlesbrough at the start of last season.

Hodgson is now believed to be willing to test Stoke’s resolve with a £5m bid in January for the defender, but may have to pay more if he is to eventually land his man.

Liverpool have struggled for numbers defensively this season and Jamie Carragher is not expected back from his shoulder injury until February at the earliest.

Daniel Agger has missed much of the campaign with a calf problem, while Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio have also suffered with injuries this season.

Huth's team-mate and central defensive partner Ryan Shawcross has also been linked with a move to Anfield in recent times.

Liverpool Plan £8m Move For Manchester City Midfielder

Liverpool are reportedly lining up a move for Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson. The Eastlands midfielder has spent the best part of two seasons out injured or off form and it appears that Roberto Mancini sees the youngster as very surplus to requirements and Roy Hodgson is interested in bringing the former Everton youth team player back to Merseyside.

Johnson has not started a Premier League match since August 2008 but the Anfield boss believes the former England Under 21 has enough potential to forge a top tier career and hopes to persuade Man City to sell the player to Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson is under instructions to bring in additions that have suit the club’s long term plans and with the help of Director of Football Strategy Damien Comolli Liverpool have begun constructing a list of preferred targets and Michael Johnson is a player that reportedly interests both parties.

A move for the 22 year old midfielder would cost around £8m and given that Mancini has been told to cut back on unnecessary costs the Eastlands club may well listen to offers for a player who appears to be very low down the Man City pecking order.

Lucas Leiva Admits He Used To Be Scared Of Anfield Boo Boys

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has admitted that he used to prefer playing away from Anfield at the start of his career in English football.

The Brazilian international was seen as something that encapsulated former manager Rafa Benitez's final season in charge, one of the bad buys the Spaniard had apparently left the club with. But he has since won over the Liverpool fans and is now a huge part of the first team, with more responsibility on his shoulders since the departure of Javier Mascherano.

However, Leiva admits it was difficult at the start when the fans at Anfield got on his back.

"I liked to play there because we had the supporters, of course, but when you do not have their full confidence, sometimes you prefer to play away," Leiva revealed to the Telegraph.

"Then you hear things but you can blame the away fans.”

The 23-year-old said the fans booed him “only once or twice”, adding: “The rest of the time the fans have been very good with me and now I can see they believe in me. I feel comfortable, and when you feel comfortable, you play better.”

In the summer he was told that if a suitable offer was received for him then Liverpool would let him go, and his name was linked to European champions Inter after Benitez took the reins in Italy.

But Leiva is glad he stayed: "When they told me, I said I will try to find a club, but that I would not go just anywhere.

“[I said] I think I can be at a good club, since Liverpool is a good club and I had been here for three years.

"But I also said I would fight for my place, I will train, that I am a professional. It was not easy, but sometimes you have to be calm.

"A few offers came, but Liverpool did not accept them. I am glad that I stayed, because I am playing well, helping the team, and I am more important now than I was a few months ago.”

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson revealed earlier this month that Leiva would be handed a new contract.

Special Fitness Plan Revealed

Liverpool's Head of Sports Science and Medicine Dr Peter Brukner has revealed the special plans he and his team have in place to keep the players fresh for a hectic schedule of five games in 15 days.

With plenty of points to play for an and FA Cup tie looming at Old Trafford Roy Hodgson will need his squad 100 per cent fit and ready for action.

Brukner and his staff have managed to get inspirational skipper Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger available for selection again, and more intensive work behind the scenes is going on at Melwood in a bid to keep everyone sharp in this crucial period of the season.

"It's enormously challenging for us if all of the games go ahead, weather permitting," Brukner told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"We play five games in 15 days and that is a very challenging time for us all - the coaching staff, the medical staff and the physical staff.

"It's all about recovery and preparing for the next game. We are putting a lot of things in place from a nutrition point of view, from a recovery and treatment point of view, to allow the players to recover as best they can for those games every three or four days.

"The players who haven't played obviously have to train as well. We have a balance with different groups of players doing different things during this 15 day period."

While the task of keeping the players in the best physical condition for the whole of this hectic period is by no means an easy task, Brukner is confident his team have made all the right preparation for the task ahead.

"When I was with the Australia national team but in World Cups and Asian Cups we are used to playing so many games in a few days so we are used to the challenge of that.

"We've already had this season three games in seven days when we played Chelsea, Wigan and Stoke, so that gave us a taste of things to come, and to be honest it didn't finish well with the Stoke game so we'll have to a bit better this time around.

"Our players are very professional and we don't need to speak to them about overindulging over Christmas with food and alcohol but we did give them a talk about nutrition, and particular in reference to recovery and what nutritional things we can do to help the players recover for those five games in 15 days.

"There was a lot of emphasis on carbohydrates and why it is important immediately after the game. We need to make sure their carbohydrate stores which are their energy stores are fully replenished by the start of the next game.

"With a normal diet that doesn't really happen and you need longer than the three days, so we are doing specific things with their diet to enable their carbohydrate stores to be fully replenished.

"That's our job to get the players in the best possible condition on the field as they can, and after that it's up to the coaches and the players.

"We are working very hard and are trying everything that we can possibly can to get them right and we are confident we are doing everything possible."

Hodgson and his team will have a short training session on Christmas Day morning ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Blackpool.

"We will train on Christmas Day ahead of the Boxing Day game," he added.

"We will bring the players in fairly early probably for a normal session which is not a big session anyway, so we'll have a short meeting about the opposition which we always do the day before a game.

"We will travel up to Blackpool on Boxing Day morning and be ready for the game."

Brukner also gave the latest recovery updates on Jamie Carragher's dislocated shoulder and Jay Spearing, who cracked a small bone in his ankle.

He added: "Jamie is making good progress, and as you can imagine he is pushing things to the limit to get back but we are still on target for a February return.

"It still takes time for the surgery to heal and for him to get strong enough around the shoulder, but he's already working on his fitness and when he does come back he should be able to slot straight back in.

"Jamie is desperate to play and if it was up to him he would throw the sling away and get out there, but we are pushing as hard as we can to help Jamie but it does take time for these tissues to heal.

"Jay Spearing is running again and he's got another couple of weeks of building up exercises to go through and we hope he will be available again for selection in the new year.

"Everyone else is in full training."

Gerrard And Agger To Return

Roy Hodgson has confirmed Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger are fit to face Blackpool on Boxing Day.

Gerrard has been sidelined in recent weeks by a hamstring injury sustained on international duty with England last month, while a calf problem has kept Agger out of action since September 25.

However, the pair are set to return to action for the trip to Bloomfield Road.

Hodgson told his pre-match press conference: "Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger are fit.

"It's a big boost going into five games in 15 days, which is a season-changing period for every club in the Premier League.

"Steven would have been fit to have played against Fulham as well, so it doesn't hurt to give him an extra week so he can get some more training in.

"But what he needs now is to play matches and unfortunately the chance to play a match was missed because of our game against Fulham falling victim to the weather."

Jay Spearing and Jamie Carragher are Liverpool's only absentees for the Blackpool clash.

Hodgson added: "There are only two players unavailable to me. Jay Spearing, who suffered a break in a bone above his ankle, is still out for another month I think.

"Jamie Carragher is, if we are to believe the doctors, still nine weeks away from coming back. But knowing Jamie, it would not surprise me if it was a lot less than nine weeks."

David Ngog Seeks Revenge Over Blackpool On Boxing Day

Liverpool forward David Ngog has claimed that he and the rest of the team are desperate to exact revenge over Blackpool on Boxing Day for the Tangerines' sensational win at Anfield earlier in the season.

Ngog has assured any doubters that Liverpool have recovered from their early season slump and will be in top form on Boxing Day.

"That defeat was a bad result, especially with it being at home and we want to prove we can do better and win this game," Ngog told the club's official website.

"The team wasn't so confident and we didn't play very well but I think we are a different team now to that game. We are a lot better and more confident and we hope we can show that on Boxing Day.

"Blackpool has done really well this season. They have played some good football and they have shown they can surprise any team on their day.

"They are a tough team and but if we play well then I'm sure we can beat them."

The Frenchman went on to admit the Reds' away form has been a worry: "We know we must improve our away form and hopefully we can do this starting with a win at Blackpool.

"At Anfield we get a lot more possession and we can dominate teams and away it is more difficult, but if we want to be at the top of the league then we have got to start winning away."

Liverpool's £11 Million Wing Wonder Target Could Be Available 'On Loan'

Reported Liverpool target Adam Johnson could be on his way out of Manchester City next month.

According to the Daily Mail, Sunderland are attempting to sign the 23-year-old 'on loan' for the remainder of the season, as well tabling a bid to sign Nedum Onuoha on a permanent basis.

However, should Johnson become available, Liverpool are thought to be in the running for the England winger who has grown increasingly frustrated at his lack of regular football under Roberto Mancini.

Last month the former Middlesbrough star - who signed for City for around £11 million in January - let his frustration get the better of him, admitting he may have to leave Eastlands in order to fulfil his ambitions.

Johnson told the Telegraph: "Every footballer has to think about it when the time comes. It is still early but I definitely would consider [leaving]."

These comments placed Liverpool - and others - on red alert and offers for the highly-rated attacker are now expected in January.

Johnson would certainly provide Liverpool with the added potency they so crave after Roy Hodgson admitted to the over reliance on the goalscoring prowess of Anfield stars Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

The Liverpool boss is understood to have identified his attacking ranks as the most in need of reinforcement in the New Year and - along with a bid for Johnson - has been linked with moves for Aston Villa ace Ashley Young and Spurs flop David Bentley.

Hodgson is expected to be backed in the transfer market by new Liverpool owners NESV with upwards of £20 million in his pursuit of fresh blood come January 1.

Along with Liverpool director of football strategy, Damien Comolli, the Reds manager has been keeping tabs on a number of attack-minded players with a view to bringing them to Anfield next month.

Liverpool Plot January Swoop For World Cup Star

Reports have resurfaced suggesting Liverpool could be set to move for Uruguay full-back Jorge Fucile.

According to skysports.com, the Portuguese media have suggested the 26-year-old defender could be on his way to Merseyside, but Fucile says he is concentrating on the job in hand.

He said: "I am under contract at Porto and my focus is here."

Liverpool have reportedly been closely monitoring the €8.5 million-rated Uruguayan and will no doubt be intrigued by the latest noises coming out of Porto after a club representative suggested the club would closely consider any potential offer.

"It is not our intention to sell, but it is normal that we will study offers if they arrive," a director of the Portuguese club supposedly said.

Fucile began his career at Liverpool FC of Montevideo before moving to Porto in 2007. A starring role in Uruguay's surge to the World Cup semi-final has since earned him plenty of plaudits, and his future has been the subject of speculation ever since.

Liverpool were first linked with a move for the versatile wide man - says skysports.com - and suggestions that he could move to Anfield come January have become increasingly frequent.

Liverpool is thought to be in the market for defensive reinforcements due to doubts harboured over the long-term futures of Glen Johnson and Paul Konchesky.

Johnson has been linked with a move away from Liverpool ever since a public falling out with Roy Hodgson and - although he soon patched things up with the Liverpool boss - the England international is thought to be plotting an Anfield exit.

Konchesky has struggled to make an impact for Liverpool since being brought to Anfield by Hodgson in the summer and his performances have left Reds supporters growing increasingly frustrated.

Liverpool has also been linked with moves for full-backs Oscar Wendt and Stephan Lichtsteiner when the transfer window opens come January 1.