Reds Turn Down Torres Bid

Liverpool have rejected a Chelsea bid of £35million for Fernando Torres, according to The Times.

The Stamford Bridge side, who were linked with a move for the Spain striker in the summer, have been told in no uncertain terms that the 26-year-old is not available.

"Chelsea has made a bid for Fernando which has been turned down," a Liverpool spokesman told the newspaper. "The player is not for sale."

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is a known long-time admirer of the Torres but has been unsuccessful in past attempts to lure the player away from Anfield and Liverpool are determined to fend off any new interest.

There has been much speculation about Torres' future but it began to grow after the club finished seventh in the Barclays Premier League.

He returned to Merseyside as a World Cup winner but, with Chelsea seemingly prepared to make a bid, he insisted his commitment to the Reds was the same as when he signed in the summer of 2007.

However, his - and the club's - early-season form did little to dispel those rumours as the striker cut a frustrated and agitated figure on the pitch as Liverpool endured their worst start to a campaign since 1953/54.

Matters were not helped when it emerged a £50million buy-out clause had been inserted into his contract - which runs until 2013.

But since the appointment of Kenny Dalglish to replace Roy Hodgson nearly three weeks ago Torres has looked a rejuvenated player and in his last four matches has scored three times - which would have been four had he not had an effort against Fulham on Wednesday wrongly ruled out for offside.

Fernando Llorente Will Not Be Sold By Athletico Bilbao

Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their race to sign a striker with news that Fernando Llorente will not be sold by Athletic Bilbao.

The Spanish international striker has emerged as one of the Reds' top targets, should a deal for Luis Suarez fall through, but the player's club have told Liverpool to forget it.

Kenny Dalglish has highlighted an attacking foil for Fernando Torres as the number one priority at Anfield in January, and Liverpool will have to move fast with regards to their other options if they are to secure the services of another player.

"We know the player wants to stay at the club for a long time. I will categorically say Llorente will not be sold and he will not leave in this summer," club president Fernando Garcia Macau told Spanish media.

"There has been no approach from any club for the striker and we are fed up by the rumour mill on this issue.

"While the Board of Directors and the President are here, Fernando Llorente will not be sold."

Liverpool were reportedly considering a €20 million offer for the player, but are unlikely to waste their time with an offer after the flat rejection from Los Leones.

Suarez remains the biggest hope for the Anfield outfit with only five days remaining in the transfer window, although Liverpool need to offer in the region of £21 million to secure the Uruguayan's services.

David Trezeguet Agent Reveals Striker Interest

Former Juventus striker David Trezeguet is being linked with a Barclays Premier League move by his agent.

The French international striker has been linked with a number of English clubs during his 17 year professional career, with Liverpool one of the most recent to take an interest in the summer.

"An interest of Liverpool? There are requests, not just of Liverpool," agent Antonio Caliendo told calciomercato.it in August.

The striker would join La Liga outfit Hercules, but is being linked with a move away from Spain after only six months at the club.

"I have now been called by England. There is a British club very interested in Trezeguet and Hercules is considering their important proposal," Caliendo has told the same website.

"David is available, but we are also considering other possibilities."

Blackburn are also thought to be one of the interested parties in the player, with the club's new owner eager to add a big-name signing after they failed to land Ronaldinho.

Liverpool are in the market for a striker as negotiations with Ajax over the signing of Luis Suarez continue to stall.

Kenny Dalglish is searching for an attacking foil for Fernando Torres at Anfield, and whilst Trezeguet has not been on the Anfield radar in recent months he could be an option for Liverpool.

It is thought that an offer in the region of €10 million should be enough for Liverpool or Blackburn to land the player.

Liverpool In The Running To Sign Mirko Vucinic

Liverpool are reportedly frontrunners to sign Roma striker Mirko Vucinic, who could become available in the summer.

According to talkSPORT, the Reds are 'strong favourites' for the 27-year-old, although Roma remain unwilling to sell during the January transfer window - but they have received bids for his services.

When asked about the reported interest of Liverpool, Vucinic's agent Alessandro Lucci said: "The club has stated he is not for sale.

"Although we have received some bids the club will not be considering any offers. At the end of the season we will make a decision on his future."

Valued at €25 million by transfermarkt.co.uk, Vucinic is one the most highly-regarded forwards in Europe and it would be a major coup if Liverpool could land him in the summer.

However, Liverpool are keen to add goalscoring reinforcements to their ranks before the winter window closes on Monday and are working desperately to bring fresh blood to Anfield.

Their no.1 target remains Ajax star Luis Suarez, but his protracted move has hit a snag after the Dutch club told Liverpool they must pay almost €30 million for his signature.

Liverpool, however, are thought to have tabled a bid of around €12.7 million for the Uruguayan and face a difficult final few days of the window as they search for a resolution.

PSV Eindhoven hotshot Ola Toivonen and FC Utrecht sensation Ricky van Wolfswinkel have also been linked with moves to Liverpool as they scour Europe for a potential strike partner for Anfield star Fernando Torres.

Michael Bastos Linked With Summer Anfield Switch

Liverpool are set battle Manchester United in the race to sign Brazilian defender Michael Bastos.

The 27-year-old Lyon full back is expected to leave the Ligue 1 outfit in the summer, and Liverpool are thought to have joined the race to sign the £22 million rated player.

An attack-minded left back, Bastos left Lille in the summer of 2009 for a fee in the region of €18 million, and has gone on to become a star at the Stade de Gerland.

Liverpool are thought to be in the market for a left sided defender following the disappointing start to Paul Konchesky's career at Anfield. The defender is being linked with a return to Fulham, with Glen Johnson currently filling in for the Merseysiders in the Barclays Premier League.

Kenny Dalglish has been promised money to spend by the Reds' new owners, NESV, and whilst Liverpool will have to wait until the summer to sign Bastos he would provide quality and experience for the club.

Manchester United have also been linked with a move for the player, who was originally being touted as a replacement for Patrice Evra at Old Trafford.

The French international is heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid from Manchester United, but Sir Alex Ferguson and the club have denied the speculation.

If the player does leave Manchester United, then Bastos appears a likely replacement with similar attributes.

It is Liverpool who could undoubtedly use the player's services more, although United are likely to have the lure of Champions League football over their rivals should they make a move.

A summer bidding war could be on the cards, and whilst the French side is reluctant to sell the player, reports claim they will listen to offers in the region of £22 million for the player. It's unknown if Liverpool or United will want to meet the demand.

Liverpool Could Move For Niko Kranjcar If They Don't Land Charlie Adam

Liverpool could make a move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Niko Kranjcar if their pursuit of Charlie Adam proves fruitless.

According to The Daily Mirror, Werder Bremen is interested in the Croatian, but the player himself wants to continue plying his trade in the Premier League.

It is thought that he would like to play for the Reds, who are currently interested in Blackpool midfielder Adam.

However, it has been reported that the situation could very well change if they are unable to land the Seasiders' skipper, with Spurs outcast Kranjcar lined up as a backup option.

Blackpool has slapped a £12m price-tag on Adam.

Jovanovic Rejects Wolfsburg

Sky Sports News sources understand that Liverpool forward Milan Jovanovic has turned down a move to Wolfsburg.

The Serbian has failed to make an impact at Anfield since arriving from Standard Liege on a free transfer at the beginning of the season and the Premier League club are prepared to sell.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish, who succeeded Roy Hodgson at the beginning of January, is reported to be trying to raise funds in order to fund improved bids for Ajax striker Luis Suarez and Blackpool captain Charlie Adam.

Skysports.com reported on Wednesday that Wolfsburg's former England manager, Steve McClaren, had made an offer, rumoured to be £6million, to Liverpool's parent company, the Fenway Sports Group.

But Jovanovic has rejected the opportunity to follow former Liverpool team-mate Ryan Babel in moving to the Bundesliga after the latter joined Hoffenheim earlier this week.

Jovanovic had hoped that the arrival of Dalglish would provide an opportunity to kick-start his career on Merseyside.

However, illness and injury permitting, the 29-year-old has only featured in the defeat at Blackpool since the sacking of Hodgson.

The deal to sign Jovanovic was effectively in place last season when Rafa Benitez was still in charge at Anfield and so it has always been questioned whether he had a future.

Seventeen appearances in total at club level have suggested that the versatile attacker has struggled to adapt since joining Liverpool, while seven of those outings have come in the Europa League.

Wolfsburg are eager to increase their offensive options after selling Edin Dzeko to Manchester City in a £27m deal at the beginning of January.

Kenny Dalglish Hails Defence After Keeping Successive Clean Sheets

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is hoping that the club's new found defensive strength can provide the platform to push further up the table.

Despite a poor start to the season, the Reds now sit seventh in the Premier League after the 1-0 win against Fulham on Wednesday night.

It followed the 3-0 victory against Wolves at the weekend, which means they have now kept two clean sheets in a row - for just the second time this season.

And Dalglish said: "They gave us some problems for our defence but it is great there is nothing against us.

"It was important to get two clean sheets back-to-back, it won't do anyone any harm.

"I don't think they were ever going to crumble.

"Second half we really dug in after the goal and the attitude and commitment of the players was tremendous as they didn't want to lose a goal.

"Their resolve was fantastic and that is why we got the three points.

"When you have no goals against you always have a chance and if we start passing and moving it there is a chance of scoring at the other end.

"It takes both ends of the pitch to be functioning to get three points in this league."

Liverpool are within six points of fifth-placed Tottenham, although they have played one match more.

Dalglish added: "We are certainly better than where we were but there are plenty of games to play and plenty of points at stake.

"It is never a bad thing to look at the table and see yourself seventh but if we feel good at being seventh it will be even better to be sixth."

Pepe Reina added: "It's nice to keep two clean sheets in a row and it's very important.

"A good team is built from the back and having a strong backline and if you have this then you will have more chances to win more games."

Match Report: Liverpool 1 - 0 Fulham

Liverpool's renaissance under Kenny Dalglish continued as victory over Fulham lifted them into their highest Barclays Premier League position of the season.

It was not the most notable of performances, although there were plenty of spells of good football from the hosts, as John Pantsil's second-half own goal divided the teams.

But the Reds registered back-to-back wins for the first time since early November to move up to seventh, within six points of fifth-placed Tottenham, and maintain the feeling of optimism which arrived when Dalglish replaced Roy Hodgson earlier this month.

The last time the legendary Scot faced a Fulham team at Anfield he was player-manager on the occasion of a 10-0 League Cup victory in September 1986 against the then third-division side - and he did not even score.

There was to be no repeat of those fireworks, understandably considering Liverpool's still fragile form and the Cottagers' precarious position.

Until Pantsil put through his own net the main talking point was the goal Fernando Torres had disallowed after just six minutes.

Liverpool's last match, the 3-0 win at Wolves, had prompted much debate - and subsequent sexism controversy - about female referee's assistant Sian Massey.

On that occasion she made the correct call in not flagging Raul Meireles offside for the Reds' opening goal at Molineux.

Male counterpart Mick McDonough was not so accurate as he wrongly ruled the Spain international was offside before he slotted Meireles' through-ball past David Stockdale.

Fortunately for the assistant referee, Pantsil prevented him making the headlines.

Portugal international Meireles was man of the match at the weekend and he started brightly again as he kept the advanced midfield role even on captain Steven Gerrard's return after suspension.

It was he who got on the end of Martin Kelly's right-wing cross to direct a low header goalwards which the goalkeeper turned around his post.

Stockdale was called into action again in the 25th minute when Glen Johnson, playing at left-back, cut inside to unleash a right-footed shot which the keeper tipped over.

Clint Dempsey forced Jose Reina into a low save just before the half-hour but the Spain international should not have been given a chance seconds later when Andrew Johnson cut the ball back to the penalty spot but Moussa Dembele hit his shot straight at the goalkeeper.

Daniel Agger fired a low 30-yard drive wide and Torres headed over from Kelly's cross in added time at the end of the first half as the hosts failed to make their dominance pay.

Maxi Rodriguez had a shot blocked by Aaron Hughes but when a cross was swung back into the area the Argentinian wasted his free header with an aimless looping effort.

But that was forgotten when Liverpool took the lead in the 52nd minute.

Dirk Kuyt's interception of Dempsey's pass touched the ball into the path of Torres on the edge of the penalty area and he unleashed a shot which deflected off Brede Hangeland and rebounded back off the post.

Pantsil and Stockdale got in the way of each other in the resulting melee with the defender, under pressure from Meireles, slicing an attempted clearance over his own goalline.

The Fulham right-back tried to make amends when his cross picked out Dempsey but the American volleyed straight at Reina.

Meireles' quick counter-attack from Reina's throw almost brought the second goal as his attempted pass to Rodriguez deflected off Hughes and had Stockdale scrambling at the foot of his left-hand post to recover.

The Fulham centre-back proved equally effective at the other end as his header forced Reina into a full-length dive to prevent the ball creeping inside the post.

Seconds later Meireles displayed his rarely-seen defensive duties by hacking Hangeland's header off the line with the goalkeeper beaten.

Liverpool hung on, something they have struggled to do in the past, as Dalglish's influence continued to be felt.

At the final whistle the PA system played Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Optimism is definitely growing at Anfield.

Dalgish Grateful For Lady Luck

Kenny Dalglish conceded Liverpool were fortunate to take maximum points in their Premier League fixture with Fulham.

The postponed clash saw the Reds clinch successive victories in the league for the first time in two months as John Pansil's 52nd minute own goal proved the difference at Anfield.

The win lifted Liverpool into seventh, their highest position of the campaign as Dalglish secured his first triumph on home soil since taking over the reins on a temporary basis.

And the Reds chief accepted his latest three-point haul in his second stint in charge came via a gift on his opponent's part.

Dalglish told Sky Sports HD: "I think Fulham might feel injustice and maybe they could have come with something from the game."

But the Reds boss also felt his side had enough of a case to suggest they were worthy winners on Wednesday night.

He added: "In the first half we had six good chances, Fernando gets one chalked off which was onside.

"The lads put in a great effort and they threw their bodies on the line and they didn't want to lose a goal."

The Scot admitted luck was on their side during the encounter, including two gilt-edged chances squandered by Moussa Dembele, as well as Brede Hangeland having his effort cleared off the line by Raul Meireles.

Dalglish claimed: "They've worked hard all season and I think that's one of if not the only game where they've had some good fortune."

"But we're delighted to be up to seventh and the players have been on a hard four games so they can be happy with the work and the three points."

Ajax Set Ultimatum For Liverpool To Improve Luis Suarez Offer

Eredivisie outfit Ajax have set an ultimatum for Liverpool to improve their offer for Luis Suarez before Saturday if they want to lure the Uruguay international away from his current club this winter.

The Reds recently made a €15 million offer for Suarez, but Ajax is holding out for a fee in the region of €35m.

"Luis will definitely not leave the club after Saturday. This situation has been going on long enough. Liverpool has to wrap up the deal in the upcoming two days or it won't happen," Ajax coach Frank de Boer was quoted as saying on a press conference.

The Ajax gaffer added that the Godenzonen won't even let go of Suarez after Saturday if a club matches Ajax's €35m asking price.

"We'll add €5m per day to our asking price from Saturday on until the end of the transfer window."

Reports from England suggested earlier on Wednesday that Suarez was set to open talks with Ajax in an attempt to get his asking price lowered, but De Boer denied any such rumours.

"He thinks Liverpool is a good club, but he understands our decision to hold on to him."

Liverpool Ready To Move For France Star

Liverpool are reportedly considering reviving their interest in Saint-Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi.

According to The Times, the Merseysiders are closely monitoring the France international as a move for Charlie Adam continues to stall.

Blackpool are growing increasingly irritated at the conduct of Liverpool in their pursuit of Adam, and the Reds are now ready to cut their losses and sound out another potential acquisition.

And, although Matuidi occupies a deeper midfield role to Adam, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is thought to be keen to add a more defensive minded midfielder to his ranks in order to take the reigns off Steven Gerrard.

Matuidi is well known to Liverpool director of football strategy Damien Comolli, who held the same role at Saint-Etienne before moving to Anfield, and he is an outed admirer of the 23-year-old.

However, since his departure to Liverpool, he has angered his former employers who will be reluctant to sell their best players to the Reds.

Matuidi is valued at around €8 million, but whether or not Liverpool is able to seal a deal for the midfielder remains to be seen.

Dalglish Battles Hughes And Bruce For "New Adebayor"

Sport.co.uk understands that Sunderland, Fulham, and Liverpool are in a three-way battle to sign FC Cluj forward Lacina Traore while Aston Villa are also closely monitoring proceedings with the player’s representative hopeful of his client finalizing a deal with a Premier League club.

Sunderland have emerged as a new suitor for the giant Ivorian, dubbed the “New Emmanuel Adebayor,” since the departure of Darren Bent, while Fulham’s Mark Hughes and Liverpool’s Kenny Dalglish have also stepped up their pursuit of 20-year-old.

Reports this morning had suggested Hughes had won the race to sign Traore, however the player’s agent told Sport.co.uk that no deal had been concluded, with Liverpool and Sunderland still in the race for the front-man.

Traore has been watched closely by scouts from a number of top European clubs in the last 18 months including Bayern Munich, Arsenal, while the reds, Aston Villa, Cottagers and now, the Black Cats, are the latest sides to join the chase for the giant front-man.

“There is now a lot of interest for Lacina. The situation is that we have not received the right offer for him to leave FC Cluj at this time. Thomas Boehm told Sport.co.uk.

“There are plenty of talks between clubs, but nothing concrete. There is a lot of movement at the moment, and there are not many strikers of quality available. I am hopeful that we can conclude a deal, but remember while our goal is to bring him to the UK, there is interest from abroad.

The 20-year-old 6ft 8in striker was linked heavily with a move to Arsenal in last year’s January window, however Gunner’s boss Arsene Wenger ruled out making a move for a striker having purchased Moroccan hit-man Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer in the summer.

New Liverpool Director of Football Strategy Damien Commolli is an admirer of the forward and has had scouts watch the Ivorian, while Villa boss Gerard Houllier, Cottagers chief Mark Hughes, and now Steve Bruce are also among the interested parties.

The Ivorian, who has yet to be capped by Cote d’Ivoire, began his career at ASEC Mimosas under Jean Marc Guiilou, a close friend of Wenger who has helped develop the likes of Manchester City pair Kolo and Yaya Toure, Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue, and Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou.

Agent Alerts Suitors To Arda Turan Availability

Sport.co.uk understands that Galatasaray captain Arda Turan looks set to be made available in the summer following a number of enquiries during the January transfer window according to the player’s chief representative.

The Premier League quartet of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have been perennially linked with the 23-year-old playmaker who has performed well in a poor campaign for Galatasaray thus far which sees the Lions sitting in seventh place in the SPORTTOTO SuperLig.

“Of course there has been a lot of interest, from the Premier League and Spain, but the club does not want to sell Arda at the moment. In six months we will see.” Ahmet Bulut told Sport.co.uk.

“He has two years left on his contract. For sure, he will stay until the end of the season then after we will see. At the moment he is staying because he is the captain of the team, but then we will see.

Turan, 23, had been quoted previously as saying it would be a dream to move to Anfield while Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp had an offer which included Giovanni Dos Santos rejected in the summer. Chelsea and Arsenal are also monitoring the situation.

Turan is an icon in Turkey and one of the most exciting prospects the country has produced, with many Galatasaray fans drawing comparisons with former Gala playmaker and Romanian international Gheorghe Hagi, currently his manager at the Turkish giants.

Ola Toivonen: Last Summer Was Not The Right Time To Join Liverpool

Swedish international Ola Toivonen appeared to be set to leave PSV for Liverpool during the summer transfer window, but the attacker eventually stayed at the Eredivisie outfit when both clubs failed to agree terms.

Toivonen wasn't too disappointed that the transfer fell through and has revealed that it was not the right time to join Liverpool.

"Initially, I really didn't know how to act when I heard about Liverpool's interest. PSV and Liverpool hadn't agreed terms yet, but that seemed a realistic option. I didn't know whether it was the right thing to do to leave PSV for Liverpool," said Toivonen to Voetbal International.

"I discussed it with a lot of people and eventually reached the conclusion that it wasn't the right time to sign for Liverpool. I could have caused problems that PSV didn't want to sell me, but I had plenty of reasons not to do so.

"It was good to see that PSV considered me to be an important player. Additionally, the timing wasn't right. Pre-season had already ended and all first team places were pretty much taken."

Konchesky In Talks With Fulham

Paul Konchesky is in talks with Fulham about rejoining the club and ending his miserable five-month spell at Liverpool as the signing who came to represent Roy Hodgson's brief and unsuccessful time at Anfield.

Konchesky left Craven Cottage in late August to become Liverpool's new left-back but his performances under Hodgson, previously his manager at Fulham, led to him being heavily criticized by the club's supporters and demoted from the team.

The 29-year-old has not played since Kenny Dalglish took over from Hodgson earlier this month and Fulham are hoping a deal can be arranged to take him back to London before Monday's transfer deadline.

Officials from the two clubs were due to hold talks about the deal before tonight's game at Anfield and, if everything goes through, Liverpool will get back in contact with Aston Villa about Stephen Warnock returning to Anfield on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

Nottingham Forest are considering whether the Konchesky deal, in turn, could enable them to take the 19-year-old Fulham left-back Matthew Briggs on loan. Chelsea has refused to let Ryan Bertrand join the Championship promotion contenders now that Patrick van Aanholt, another of Ashley Cole's understudies at Stamford Bridge, has moved to Leicester City on loan.

Premier League Preview: Liverpool vs Fulham

Fernando Torres is back to his scoring self it seems with three goals in two games for Liverpool and has shown solid signs of his early days at the Anfield outfit where ‘The Child’ was scoring goals for fun.

The two goals he scored at the weekend against Wolves marked his 62nd and 63rd on his 100th league appearance for the Red half of Merseyside. However, Torres has quite a bit to go to even start thinking about breaking into the top 10 goal scorers for the team with Jack Parkinson occupying 10th place with 130 goals and current team-mate and captain Steven Gerrard in ninth with 140.

The opening month to 2011 has seen the west London club collect three wins and one draw in the five games that they have played so far since the New Year and is easily the best form they’ve had all season (even if one of the games was a 6-2 thrashing of League 1 side Peterborough).

Striker Andy Johnson has found himself some form after his comeback from injury and is playing some good football which included a goal against Wigan, his first in the Premier League for almost two seasons.

New signing Steve Sidwell made his debut on Saturday and impressed new manager Mark Hughes, but will have to wait until he begins to break into the Fulham midfield with squad staples such as Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu. However, don’t be surprised to see him feature at some point during the game.

Ten Of The Best For Liverpool

Liverpool’s second highest win in their history came against Fulham when they met in the second round of the League Cup in September 1986 with a final score of 10-0.

Steve McMahon scored four of the goals on that day with Ian Rush and John Wark both scoring two each and Ronnie Whelan and Steve Nicol scoring the other two.

The win remains Liverpool’s best performance in any domestic competition and is still Fulham’s worst ever defeat in their history.

TEAM NEWS

Liverpool

The home team has an almost full bill of health with just Milan Jovanovic (illness) and Jamie Carragher (shoulder) unavailable.

Captain Steven Gerrard returns from suspension and will be hoping to carry on the Merseyside club’s positive progress since the second coming of club legend King Kenny.

Possible starting XI: Reina; Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson; Kuyt, Lucas, Meireles, Maxi; Gerrard; Torres.

Fulham

The visitors for the rescheduled match are without four players, all with long-term injuries, and include Dickson Etuhu (hamstring), Matthew Briggs (ankle), Bobby Zamora (broken leg) and Philippe Senderos (Achilles).

Also, Mark Schwarzer’s Australia are through to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup and play on Tuesday night against Uzbekistan and so will not be available either, leaving goalkeeper David Stockdale to once again fill his boots.

Possible starting XI: Stockdale; Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Baird; Dempsey, Murphy, Etuhu, Duff; A Johnson, Dembele.

Gerrard Return Adds Impetus To Dalglish's Restoration Act

Steven Gerrard has never made any secret of the fact that he has one of Kenny Dalglish's shirts up on a wall in the trophy room of his home in Formby. Only yesterday did Liverpool's new manager reveal that he has returned the compliment.

"Yes, I've got [one of his] up in my house. We'll have to stop this society," Dalglish said as he contemplated his captain's return after a three-match suspension against Fulham at Anfield tonight. Gerrard, who has a huge picture of Dalglish which was presented to him as a boy by his father, has been limited to the 32 minutes before his dismissal in the FA Cup at Manchester United since the return of the manager – "the best player who ever played for Liverpool," his father once told him.

Gerrard has already indicated that he wants Dalglish to retain the job permanently this summer and the only challenge the Scot seems to have is to maintain the proper manager-player distance between the pair.

"He won't get around me that easy, [by having one of my shirts] but I might sign it for him," said Dalglish, who has indicated Glen Johnson will continue at left-back tonight. "This football club's been here a long, long time and if I played a small part in someone's feelings for this club, then so be it. But certainly since I have been coming to watch this club, Stevie's played a huge role in its history. We all know the games: the most memorable and important ones [he's played in] come easy to mind."

Dalglish will maintain that distance. When he suddenly found himself manager the first time around, in 1985, he asked the players to call him "boss" and put Phil Neal in his place when he failed to do so. It seems inconceivable that Dalglish's presence will not lift Gerrard to new heights, with the manner of Saturday's 3-0 win at Wolves – including a 30-pass move for the third goal – restoring some of Liverpool's old values. One of those is making Anfield a fortress in a season when Wolves, Blackpool and Northampton Town have found it anything but that.

"[The stadium] is just as it was," said Dalglish, who expects midfielder Lucas Leiva to have recovered from a slight thigh strain. "We're very proud of and privileged by what's happened at Anfield and want to be part of the [future] history now. We want to continue with the same principles and philosophies about the club, whether it's the atmosphere within or what we do on the pitch."

The manager's impact on Fernando Torres, whose two goals at Wolves put him into his club's 20 top all-time goalscorers, has also been profound, with Dalglish hinting that his training regime needed altering. "We have done training the way we think it should be done. Fernando is doing better than before."

Liverpool could go seventh in the table if they beat Fulham tonight and there will an immediate reminder of happier days. The last time Dalglish managed a Liverpool team against Fulham at Anfield, in 1986, they won 10-0.

Kelly Confident Of Cementing Reds Place

Liverpool youngster Martin Kelly believes he cam become a mainstay in the Reds first team for many years to come after enjoying a breakthrough season at Anfield.

Kelly, 20, displaced England international Glen Johnson as Liverpool's first-choice right-back under former boss Roy Hodgson and has retained that position under Kenny Dalglish, with Johnson forced to play out of position at left-back under the Scot.

And with the Liverpool academy graduate set to continue at right-back against Fulham on Wednesday, he has confidently stated his intention to hold onto his place in the starting XI.

"It has been good to play in the games," Kelly said. "As a young player you want to play as much as you can and gain experience. To play in the Premier League is more than beneficial to me. Kenny Dalglish just wants me to go out there and show what I can do and push for a place all the time.

"You have to take your chance. Now I just need to keep the consistency going. It is a totally different game at right-back to centre-half but I have found it quite easy to adapt. You get more off the ball for a start.''

Dalglish, who stepped in after the departure of Hodgson, saw his side win for the first time under his stewardship with a 3-0 victory at Wolves at the weekend.

And Kelly has noticed a different atmosphere already around the club following the arrival of a Liverpool legend.

"We have been a bit unlucky with results in the past," Kelly said. "Hopefully they will now go our way. It is like having a 12th man with Kenny on the line encouraging us.

"We are doing a lot of football in training and that helps a lot. It is a bit more enjoyable as well, very competitive as everyone is fighting for a place in the team.''

Dalglish is pleased with Kelly's progress and also sees his him as a long-term fixture at Anfield.

"Martin's done very well for the club,'' Dalglish said.”He's like a new signing for the club because that's four on the spin he's played now. It doesn't matter what age you are, if you are performing you'll have a chance of playing. He's certainly deserved his opportunities.

"He is getting a good bit of help from people around and about him. But it is impressive when you come into a team that isn't playing as well as it can and you play as well as he has done.''

Skrtel Fired Up By Increased Competition

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel accepts that his form has not always been the best this season, but he is spurred on to improve by the growing competition within the Reds` squad.

The Slovakia centre-back has put in a couple of shaky performances in recent weeks against the likes of Blackpool and Everton. However, he helped secure the club's first Barclays Premier League clean sheet since December 6 in last weekend's 3-0 win at Wolves.

Skrtel is currently being paired with Daniel Agger, but with Jamie Carragher set to return from a dislocated shoulder in the coming weeks, Sotirios Kyrgiakos waiting in the wings, centre-back Martin Kelly excelling on the right and youngster Danny Wilson not even getting close to the squad, he knows he cannot afford to let his standards slip.

"I have played in almost every game this season and each time I always try to do my best for the team," he said. "I know I have made a few mistakes and haven't always played well, but I don't know any player who doesn't make a mistake so I just try to do my best.

"It's important to keep playing well because we have a good squad and there is strong competition for places. I think that is a good thing because everyone has to work hard and make it hard for the manager when it comes to who he will pick in his team."