LIVERPOOL WILL hold talks with Andre Villas-Boas next week over the managerial vacancy at Anfield but their wide-ranging approach to finding Kenny Dalglish’s successor has resulted in Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers rejecting an interview offer from Fenway Sports Group, the club’s owners.
Villas-Boas has made it known he would be interested in a second stint in English football with Liverpool. Anfield officials have scheduled talks with the 34-year-old and the Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez for the coming days.
Pep Guardiola and Fabio Capello top the wish-list but Liverpool have not received encouragement from that pair. Jurgen Klopp, the double-winning coach of Borussia Dortmund, cannot be tempted from Germany.
Rodgers was invited for an interview but declined on the basis Liverpool should be fully aware of what he brings to the table. Rodgers is also conscious of how disrespectful it would look to the Swansea supporters if he was seen to be chasing, rather than being offered, another position.
The 39-year-old signed an improved three-and-a-half year contract at Liberty Stadium in February and although he is hugely ambitious, there is no sense that he needs to go looking for opportunities elsewhere.
There is also a feeling among those close to Rodgers that Swansea’s performance at Anfield in November, when they were applauded off the pitch by the Liverpool supporters, together with the 1-0 victory over Dalglish’s team on the last day of the season, should provide more than enough evidence of his qualities, as opposed to being part of a formal interview process.
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