Posts Tagged ‘Glen Johnson’

Pompey players go unpaid

Pompey’s unpaid fees could block spending plans

• Sulaiman al-Fahim says transfer embargo might not be lifted
• Unpaid fees, salaries and taxes need to be settled

Portsmouth’s ability to make signings next month has been cast into doubt because the club must clear a seven-figure sum in outstanding fees before the Premier League will lift the transfer embargo it imposed in mid-October.

The money is for instalments owed on several transfers, which include Glen Johnson’s move from Chelsea and the signing of John Utaka from Rennes, each of which occurred in 2007.

Portsmouth’s prospects of sourcing the finance to lift the embargo are muddied by other monies they have to pay over the coming month or so. These include at least £2.5m to the former owner Sacha Gaydamak; £1.8m for salaries; and outstanding tax and VAT bills, thought to amount to £5m and £6m respectively.

At the end of next month a considerable amount is also due for the next instalments of outstanding transfer fees, which the board will have to consider when drawing up any financial strategy.

Portsmouth’s chief executive, Peter Storrie, said last week he was under the impression that “everything is sorted” for the embargo to be lifted in time for January. Following Saturday’s 4-1 defeat by Manchester United, the new manager, Avram Grant, spoke of his need for reinforcements so the club can avoid relegation. “We are to have discussions in the next couple of days and I will know what we can do in January,” he said. Grant is yet to have those discussions with Storrie, though it is understood they will meet by the close of the week.

Sulaiman al-Fahim, the non-executive chairman, last month publicly backed the owner Ali al-Faraj’s ability to lift the embargo but has now altered his view. He contacted the Guardian last night to apologise to supporters for those comments, and demand the situation be “clarified”.

He said: “I would like to apologise for saying publicly last month that I was confident the transfer embargo would be lifted. I said this in good faith. As the embargo is still in place, then it seems there is still an ongoing issue. Avram Grant needs this situation clarified one way or another as we are now less than a month away from the January transfer window.”

Although Faraj has yet to visit the club he bought in October, Fahim challenged the Saudi to meet him to discuss Portsmouth’s future.

“I have never met al-Faraj and I am ready to invite him to the UAE as my guest or I will go and meet him in Saudi Arabi, if he doesn’t have time to come to the UK,” he said. “As a chairman and shareholder I want to know who is he and what plans he has for the club.”

Portsmouth declined to comment.

Benítez expects Lyon to play their part in Liverpool’s revival

• French team ‘will want to win in Florence’
• Manager calls for a repeat of finest hour

Rafael Benítez has conceded Liverpool must emulate their finest achievement in the Champions League group stage to avoid elimination in Hungary tomorrow as he rejected the theory he could fall victim to a conspiracy in Florence.

A Liverpool victory at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium over Debrecen, the Hungarian champions who prop up Group E, will prove futile in attempts to secure a sixth successive passage to the knockout phase should Fiorentina beat Lyon at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Liverpool need a Lyon result in Italy to retain interest in this season’s competition, and avoid a costly elimination to the Europa League, but Benítez does not believe Claude Puel’s team will tread lightly in Florence with the aim of reducing the number of Premier League opponents in the latter stages.

“I don’t think that Lyon will want to see Fiorentina qualify before us. I think they will want to finish at the top of the group,” said the Liverpool manager, who is without the injured Fernando Torres in Budapest but saw Glen Johnson, who missed Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City with a calf strain, train tonight. “I think they are good professionals. When you qualify first it can be an advantage in terms of which team you draw, but also for the confidence of the team. I think Lyon will try to win. They have quality, they play good counterattack football so we will see.”

Benítez was equally unperturbed at the prospect of Lyon, who qualified for the knockout phase with a last-minute equaliser against Liverpool at Stade Gerland, fielding a weakened team in their penultimate group fixture. “Puel will try to win and finish top because it would be good for him, for his players and for his club,” he added. “It is good news for his club, it will mean more money, and I am confident they will try to do it.”

With qualification beyond Liverpool’s control, however, the first time that has occurred under Benítez, the Spaniard admits it will require a feat comparable with 2007-08 to avoid the ignominy of an early exit. Then, Liverpool needed three wins from their final three group games to qualify and delivered, registering a remarkable 16 goals in the defeats of Porto, Besiktas and Marseille in the process.

Benítez said: “It will be difficult to get through. I have said before that it will be a miracle if we do, but it depends on the other teams and if we do our job. We have to win and see what happens in the other games. If we can play against Fiorentina at Anfield with a chance to get through then it would be fantastic. The last time we qualified was amazing and it will be the same if we can do it again. The last time we had to win three games and we did it in a good way. If we do it now it will be more or less the same achievement.”

With the notable exception of Torres Liverpool, who also left Albert Riera on Merseyside to recover from a hamstring tear, should be closer to full strength in Hungary with Johnson available and Daniel Agger fit despite suffering a head wound that required five stitches against City. Alberto Aquilani, the £20m summer signing who is yet to start for Liverpool, is also in contention although Benítez is likely to retain Lucas Leiva and Javier Mascherano in central midfield.

“Aquilani is in the squad and so he can play,” said Benitez. “But it depends. The team has players in this position, [Steven] Gerrard is coming back and the two central midfielders are doing well. We want to play him as soon as possible but we want to manage with the squad. Johnson and Agger will be fit. We have brought them here because we think they can play. We will decide after the training session. It’s really important for us to have players coming back from injury, it can give us more options in every game.”

England sweating on Terry as injury problems mount

• John Terry reported to have suffered achilles injury in training
• Capello still optimistic defender will play against Brazil

John Terry could miss England’s friendly against Brazil with a swollen achilles as injury problems mount for the manager Fabio Capello.

According to reports the captain was hurt during a training session when blocking a shot from Jermaine Jenas during their preparations for tomorrow’s match in Qatar. The 28-year-old centre-half was due to speak to the media at the Ritz Carlton Hotel today but did not emerge, leading to concerns over his fitness.

However, Capello said he remained optimistic that Terry would feature. “He has hurt his ankle and we need to check him but I think he will be okay,” the manager said. The Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry attended the press conference in Terry’s place.

The FA has not yet confirmed the injury while England’s medical team are yet to make a final decision on Terry.

England are already without Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole and David James for the match. Lampard flew home on Thursday after suffering a thigh injury in training.

It means only Wayne Rooney and Barry of Capello’s first-choice starting line-up are likely to feature against Brazil.

If Terry does miss out, Wayne Rooney could assume the captaincy given the number of senior players absent.

Benayoun and Riera ruled out for a month

• Midfielders break down with hamstring injuries
• Liverpool wait on extent of injury to Glen Johnson

Rafael Benítez’s worst fears over the fitness of Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera have been confirmed after the Liverpool midfielders were diagnosed with torn hamstrings that could sideline them for a month.

The Liverpool manager has been beset by injury problems during a dreadful sequence of one win in nine games and immediately suspected hamstring tears after the duo limped out of Monday’s draw with Birmingham City.

Scans have confirmed Benítez’s worries and, although the club have refused to put a timeframe on their recovery, they are expected to be out for around three to four weeks. Riera was absent for three weeks with his initial hamstring injury, only to aggravate the problem just 45 minutes into his return against Alex McLeish’s side.

The losses of Riera and particularly Benayoun represent major setbacks for Benítez, who, with the notable exception of Fernando Torres, had reason to believe his injury crisis was easing before the Birmingham game. Benayoun and Riera will almost certainly miss the home game with Manchester City on 21 November plus the European trip to Hungary to face Debrecen three days later.

Liverpool must beat the Hungarian champions Debrecen to retain hope of advancing from the Champions League group stage, although qualification will be beyond Benítez’s team should Fiorentina defeat Lyon in Italy on the same night.

The demanding sequence continues for Liverpool with the first Merseyside derby of the season at Everton on 29 November, when the Israel captain and Spain international could still be absent.

Liverpool should today discover the full extent of the calf problem that forced Glen Johnson’s withdrawal from the England squad to meet Brazil in Doha this weekend. The right-back has been hindered by calf and groin injuries in recent weeks, and Daniel Agger withdrew from Denmark’s squad for friendlies against South Korea and the United States after suffering a reaction to a persistent back problem against Birmingham. Liverpool are hopeful, however, that the Dane’s complaint will not cause another long-term lay-off.

Torres and Steven Gerrard are continuing to receiving daily treatment on their respective hernia and adductor problems as Liverpool attempt to eradicate the need for their key talents to undergo surgery. “We will see how he reacts,” Benítez said of the Spain striker yesterday. “We are not considering an operation yet. We haven’t got a deadline. We just need to see how he is every day.”