Downing looks to push ‘Pool move.
Wantaway Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing will tell new Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish that he wants to join Liverpool, according to The Sun.
The 26 year old is determined to seal the £20m deal and despite Villa boss’ Alex McLeish’s attempts to keep Downing in the Midlands, the England international is refusing to entertain the thought of extending his deal at Villa Park. Downing still has two years left on his current deal at Villa, but is looking to force a deal through this summer.
Downing joined Villa in 2008 from Middlesbrough for £12m and the Villans are set to recoup the fee they payed for the winger plus extra cash. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish is an admirer of Downing’s talents and is interested in bringing the player to Anfield.
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Suarez: I’ll be ready.
Liverpool forward Luis Suarez has insisted that despite his gruelling summer schedule, he will be fit and raring to go for the start of the season, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The 24 year old is currently with the Uruguayan national team ahead of their Copa America campaign, which begins against Peru this evening, and Suarez has yet to have an extended break after last season. Suarez will also get limited time to rest before he returns to pre-season training at Anfield this summer. He has dismissed any fears that Reds fans may have and is feeling fine.
Suarez said: ‘I don’t think I’ll have any problems at all. I think that when you start to get to 28 or 29 as a player, tiredness creeps in, but at my age, all you want to do is play football all the time. There will be no problems with me coming back in good condition’.
Keen joins coaching staff.
BBC Sport reports that Liverpool have named former West Ham caretaker manager Kevin Keen as their new first team coach.
The Reds have acted quickly to replace Sammy Lee, who left the club last week, and Keen joins on a three year deal. It is unsure whether current Reds first team coach Steve Clarke will step up to be Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish’s right hand man or whether Clarke will stay in a coaching capacity.
Keen and Clarke have worked together before, when Gianfranco Zola was manager of West Ham and both coaches assisted the Italian in his job. Dalglish has said that Keen ‘was highly respected in the game and will be a great addition to our technical staff’. Keen himself made over 600 appearances in his playing career and has been caretaker manager at the Hammers on three separate occasions.
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