Dalglish making early case for permanency

SOCCER:NOW LIVERPOOL and Fernando Torres have ended the pretence that a) their jewel is not for sale and b) he has Anfield etched on to his soul, it cannot be long before Fenway Sports Group banishes another uncertainty over the club's future direction.

That would be the “caretaker” prefix before “manager” in the job title of Kenny Dalglish.

The strategy of John W Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool’s principal owner and chairman, has been muddied by their first foray into the transfer market, though there is no mistaking their ambition. They approached January with a reputation for using Sabermetrics – a statistical system used to assess players that was developed in baseball – to make considered purchases and a stated aim not to make the kind of rushed judgments that had cost Liverpool dearly before their arrival. They spent €41 million on Andy Carroll within 24 hours of Torres showing up at Melwood with his representatives to say there was no way back.

Promises of investment were delivered to such an extent on Monday that the mourning period for Torres lasted only a little longer than a can of deodorant sprayed on to a burning Liverpool shirt. And yet, with the €67 million spent on Carroll and Luis Suarez being recouped by €65 million from the sale of Torres and Ryan Babel, FSG’s outlay spoke of necessity, not extravagance.

It did, however, provide the clearest signal Dalglish has FSG’s confidence to manage Liverpool after his fire-fighting role ends, officially, in May.

The clamour for Dalglish’s permanent appointment began before he was offered the position as a caretaker and it may be dismissed as sentimental or indecently premature, after five games in charge. But the evidence for his confirmation as manager is already compelling.

The Scot was not some idle bystander on Monday while Damien Comolli lived up to his billing as director of football strategy and guided FSG through a potentially calamitous transfer window. Dalglish was at the heart of Liverpool’s long-term planning for the replacement of Torres.

One of the first assignments given to Dalglish by Rafael Benitez, after the former returned to the club as ambassador and academy figurehead in July 2009, was to scout Suarez at Ajax.

“We have known about him for three years,” said the Scot, who will give the €27 million striker a debut at home to Stoke City tonight, subject to international clearance. “When I came back here it was early on we were looking at him, so when we were talking about players it was pushing at an open door regarding Suarez. He’ll be a fantastic player and he’s fantastic in the dressingroom.”

Dalglish was the driving force behind Liverpool’s interest in Charlie Adam, which came to nothing when Blackpool rejected an €11.7 million offer on Monday night and set a €16 million price that FSG refused to pay. The arrival of Carroll, though, hardly fitted Comolli’s brief, which is to unearth hidden gems at reasonable prices. Indeed it puts Comolli under a punishing spotlight.

FSG appointed Comolli 19 days after their €350 million takeover in October, in response to the transfer mistakes that had contributed to Liverpool’s decline. It seemed a sensible move. Now it appears to have been a rushed response by owners who never trusted Roy Hodgson and who accept, as Torres warned last summer, that Liverpool are not blessed with time if they wish to rejoin the elite.

It was said when Hodgson left the club four weeks ago Dalglish’s reluctance to step aside as caretaker would cause problems for FSG. That suspicion was cemented when the 59-year-old said at his unveiling on January 10th he would happily move on for “somebody better”.

Yet FSG have struck lucky. Dalglish has galvanised Liverpool after the Hodgson era; in less than a month his charisma and outlook have affected the atmosphere, playing style, public statements and transfer policy at Anfield.

His appointment would not be a populist move today. It would be an obvious one.

Reflecting on an extraordinary day in Liverpool’s recent history, and the return to spending millions on players rather than on interest repayments, Dalglish said: “It’s encouraging there are still players out there who want to play for the club and have a feeling for the club.

“It will benefit the self-esteem of the supporters and the owners and the players that this football club is still held in high esteem.”