It may be that the British soccer press has little to talk about now that the domestic and international seasons have ended, but speculation has it that Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is already fed up with American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks for not getting it done on the financial end. The Times says the Liverpool is displeased with the club’s lack of progress in the summer transfer market, which still less than two weeks old. Liverpool still has yet to spend a dime, while English champion Manchester United has already shelled out some $110 million on new players.
Reports claim that Gillett and Hicks aren’t having the easiest of times getting along either, and tension between themselves, Benitez and Liverpool CEO Rick Parry are mounting. Gillett, of course, denies this: “Nothing could be farther from the truth,” he told The Times, adding that the group agreed to a program in February, as the pair were completing the purchase of the team. “Each one of our sports businesses has a core concept,” Gillett said. “You can’t just flop around looking at opportunities here and there…it has to be part of an integrated plan.” That plan involves spending money, just not “like a drunken sailor,” he said.
Benitez has had to begrudgingly accept that this doesn’t include the likes of Barcelona’s high-priced striker Samuel Eto’o, who was top of Benitez’s shopping list, West Ham’s Carlos Tevez or Valencia’s David Villa. Rather, it means lower-key and possibly higher-value signings, such as Villarreal’s Diego Forlan, AS Roma’s Mancini or Real Zaragoza’s Diego Milito.