RAFAEL BENITEZ remains torn over whether to end his six-year reign at Liverpool despite increasing confidence at Juventus that he will become their coach at the end of this season. The Liverpool manager’s dilemma was illustrated yesterday with an admission that he would have left Anfield last year but for his relationship with the club’s supporters.
Benitez again refused to commit his future to Liverpool following Thursday’s Europa League semi-final exit against Atletico Madrid and sources close to the new Juventus president, Andrea Agnelli, claim a deal to take the Spaniard to Turin is almost complete.
Agnelli is pressing Benitez for an answer as he prepares to launch his ambitious project for the club and the prolonged wait for investment at Anfield is pushing his preferred candidate towards Italy.
Benitez would prefer to remain on Merseyside under a new ownership structure but has yet to see firm evidence that Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the Anfield co-owners, have found a buyer willing to meet their asking price.
Benitez said this week he had received no direct assurances over his future from the Anfield hierarchy, who would avoid having to find a €18 million payoff should their manager accept the offer from Juventus. But he refused to give any assurances of his own to the supporters who chanted his name during the exit on away goals to Atletico.
“If I am here it is because of those fans,” he said, when pressed to give supporters clarification on his future. “I have had massive offers over the last year and I decided to stay because of the fans. It’s been a very disappointing season because we couldn’t achieve what we were expected to, and still I’m here and I will do my best until the end.”
He added: “The fans are the main thing, the best thing, that the club has. For one year, I have been working very hard, trying to do my best, and we will see what happens in the future because (the game against) Chelsea is the future now.”
The Aston Villa manager, Martin O’Neill, would be a strong contender to replace Benitez, who in recent weeks has not disguised the fact that he has lost patience with the Liverpool regime.
Without a sudden development in the takeover search, it is likely tomorrow’s league game with Chelsea will be his last as Liverpool manager at Anfield.
Benitez kept his counsel on his future in his pre-match press conference yesterday.
When asked if he would be coach of Juventus next season he answered: “I am here now and hopefully I will be here on Sunday against Chelsea.”
Carlo Ancelotti, the former Juventus coach now in charge of Chelsea, said Benitez would be tailor-made for Italian football: “I’m sure he would be a success. Tactically, he has fantastic experience.”
