Rafa Benitez plans summer of change at Liverpool FC

May 2 2008

Rafael Benitez has given the green light to a summer of change at Anfield.

The Liverpool boss, who has tabled a £10m bid for Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry, has made it clear that there will be new arrivals and key departures from his squad.

Sunday’s final home league game with Manchester City could be a farewell to Anfield for several players, with the Spaniard clearly declining to distance himself from a host of summer moves.

Fourth place in the league and a Champions League semi-final exit has only served to underline Liverpool’s deficiencies.

But Benitez has opened the door to a string of exits, with the belief that he has been told he must sell as well as buy if he wants to bolster his squad for next season.

Significantly he said: "Being in the top four in England and Europe means we have good players, and maybe some clubs will be interested in our players.

"Now is the time for thinking about the future. Thinking about next season.

"Every year you must improve. This squad is much better than my first squad at the club, but if we can improve we will do so.

"I read a lot of names linked with this club, different players. And I also see the same about my own players. But we do not want to comment, we will just keep on working and wait and see what happens."

Barry could just be the first of several new faces. But it could well be a long-drawn out chase with Villa boss Martin O’Neill being dismissive today of being offered a "mish-mash of un-named players" in exchange.

But it will depend on whether Barry is keen on the move to link-up with his friend and England colleague Steven Gerrard.

Peter Crouch, Jermaine Pennant and Xabi Alonso could be on their way out, although Benitez was guarded about Crouch’s situation.

He said: "We have offered Peter Crouch a new contract, he knows our ideas and we want to keep him. Everything else is just speculation."

However, Villa are believed to want Crouch and the tall striker is unlikely to find another season on the bench acceptable.

Benitez could well have Fernando Torres and Martin Skrtel back after injuries suffered at Stamford Bridge against City, but his eyes are set firmly on the future, saying: "There are a lot of names being mentioned, some who will arrive and some who will leave. But we will try to work on the future."

On the season as a whole, Benitez was quick to point out just how tough it is to compete against the very best all the time.

He said: "To be in the top four in Europe is a massive achievement. To be in the top four in England likewise. It is a tremendous achievement when you consider that the top two sides in Europe and also the top two sides in England, Manchester United and Chelsea.

"That is not bad for us. Always you want to win silverware, but the top four at home and abroad is very good. It is not a fantastic season, but certainly it is not a bad season.