Benitez indicates he is staying put

RAFAEL BENITEZ has given a clear indication he plans to remain as Liverpool's manager by revealing he has been given the backing of the joint owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, to pursue transfer targets during the close season.

Hicks and Gillett are no longer on speaking terms and the turmoil at Anfield has raised questions over the Spaniard's future. But following talks with Hicks, sanctioned by Gillett and Parry, at the club's training ground this week, Benitez believes he can now focus on the summer market and players such as Aston Villa's Gareth Barry, the Wigan midfielder Antonio Valencia, the Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta and Borussia Dortmund's full-back Philipp Degen.

"It was a very positive meeting," Benitez said. "We spoke about some targets and everybody now knows the names and how to progress, so it was positive. All of them were not in the meeting, but everybody now knows the situation. If you have a target and you say, 'okay, I have a target', you need to speak with everyone about the price and how to progress, but everybody knows now, so I think we have progressed."

Although Benitez spent more than €50.3 million last summer on Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun, the cost of his squad remains some distance short of those assembled by Chelsea and Manchester United.

Peter Crouch, Jermaine Pennant and John Arne Riise are all likely to attract interest this summer, moreover, and Benitez believes he can improve his squad without spending huge sums.

"I'm sure we won't need too much," he said. "Our squad is much better and we maybe need to sign four or five players, but we will not need to spend big, big money . . ."

Meanwhile, Riise, who headed into his own net in the 95th minute of Tuesday night's Champion's League semi-final first leg at Anfield to hand Chelsea a priceless 1-1 draw, said yesterday: "What can I say? I decided to stoop and head the ball in the direction it came from. But it was a swerving cross, the ball was wet, and it slid right off my forehead. It was a shock to see it lying in the goal.

"These things happen for defenders from time to time. I know how strong I am mentally and I will handle this and I will come back from an own goal like that. I have been involved in tougher things in my life than this and I know that I will handle this in a good way. I will try to turn this around to something positive."