LIVERPOOL HOPE to appoint their new manager in the next 48 hours, despite the complexities of hiring Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez, the leading candidates for the job, within that timeframe.
Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, is confident of announcing the successor to Kenny Dalglish by Friday having reduced its search to a shortlist which is headed by the managers of Swansea City and Wigan Athletic.
No formal approach has been made to Swansea for Rodgers but despite rejecting the offer of an interview for the Liverpool vacancy 11 days ago, FSG retains a firm interest in the 39-year-old and believes that interest will be reciprocated once Rodgers is offered the job.
There would be several obstacles to overcome to secure Rodgers’s move from the Liberty Stadium to Anfield before the weekend, however, although the date is a preference of the Liverpool owner and not a cut-off point.
Rodgers signed a new three-and-a-half year contract with Swansea only in January that includes a release clause of around £5 million (€6.25 million).
Swansea would be loth to lose the manager who guided them to promotion to the Premier League followed by an 11th-place finish in the top flight last season.
On Monday Jenkins dismissed as “pure speculation” reports of talks having been arranged between Liverpool and Rodgers and has announced a club record £6.8 million (€8.5 million) deal with Hoffenheim for Gylfi Sigurdsson, the Iceland midfielder who made a stunning impact on loan at Swansea last season.
Rodgers held talks with Jenkins yesterday following his return from a holiday in the United States. The club claim it was a prearranged meeting to discuss the Sigurdsson signing and possibly that of Tottenham’s Giovani dos Santos, who Rodgers watched during Sunday’s friendly between Mexico and Wales at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
But Rodgers was aware of Liverpool’s interest prior to his meeting with Jenkins and the size of his release clause would not deter FSG.
Martinez also returned to Britain from a family holiday yesterday but has not yet held a second round of talks with Liverpool’s owners, as predicted by the Wigan chairman Dave Whelan.
They are likely to take place today.
Martinez met Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry in Miami last week and has been given until tomorrow by Whelan to decide on his future amid renewed interest from Aston Villa.
The Spaniard’s proposed move to Liverpool is complicated by FSG’s intention of appointing a sporting director-type figure at the head of a new management structure.
Louis van Gaal is a leading candidate but may wish to be considered for the manager’s position, a stance that illustrates it is not simply a straight fight between Martinez and Rodgers.
Guardian Service
