No exit for Hodgson at Liverpool

SOCCER:THE ENGLISH FA will have to wait until 2012 if it wishes to appoint Roy Hodgson as England manager after the 62-year-old accepted a two-year contract with no release clause from Liverpool yesterday.

Hodgson had been touted as the leading candidate to replace Fabio Capello should Dave Richards, the chairman of Club England, decide to take the expensive option of sacking the Italian following England’s dire World Cup campaign.

The Fulham manager has made no secret of his desire to lead England but, despite the uncertainty surrounding Capello’s future, has agreed a deal with Liverpool that provides no escape route should the FA make an approach before Capello’s contract expires after the European Championships.

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow, who has led the search for Rafael Benitez’s successor at Anfield, has finalised personal terms with Hodgson and agreed to meet the €3 million compensation fee payable to Fulham.

The only obstacle preventing confirmation of Hodgson’s appointment at Anfield are issues relating to his departure from Fulham, believed to be bonuses the manager feels he is entitled to after last season’s 12th-place finish in the Premier League and run to the Europa League final.

Representatives from both sides were working on a resolution last night and, providing one is found, Liverpool should have Hodgson installed for the start of pre-season training today. He could then be unveiled as Liverpool manager this afternoon.

Hodgson faces a major task of reviving Liverpool’s fortunes after the disappointments of last season and amid the €430 million debt.

The new manager has been promised an initial €18 million this summer to revitalise a squad that finished seventh in the Premier League last season, a kitty that includes the profit made on players sold during the January transfer window and may be reduced by the compensation owed to Fulham.

The former Switzerland, Internazionale and Blackburn Rovers manager, who has held 15 coaching positions during a 34-year career, faces the task of convincing Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano, among others, to resist offers to leave Anfield.

Yossi Benayoun is likely to be the first player to leave Liverpool, with a €6 million move to Chelsea agreed.

One player destined for Liverpool is Milan Jovanovic, the Serbia international striker who agreed a free transfer from Standard Liege in January but indicated, during the World Cup, that the deal was not watertight.

“I am going to Liverpool. I have signed there for three years. I repeat: no pre-agreement – a real contract,” the 29-year-old said yesterday. “And the departure of Benitez changes nothing.”