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Mascherano seals permanent move
(AFP) Friday 29 February 2008
Liverpool on Friday secured the services of Javier Mascherano on a long-term basis after the Argentinian midfielder signed a four-year contract with the club.
The announcement brings to an end a protracted and controversial saga over the future of the 23-year-old, who joined Liverpool on loan in January 2007.
Mascherano previously played for West Ham but rights to the player were owned by the Media Sports Investments consortium. Liverpool did not disclose how much they paid to MSI to make Mascherano's loan deal permanent but the player had been valued at around £18 million.
News that Liverpool have produced the funds necessary will come as a relief to manager Rafael Benitez, who had feared that other clubs would come in for a player regarded as one of the finest defensive midfielders in the world. Mascherano described the completion of the negotiations as the best moment of his career to date.
He said: "I am very, very happy and now I can concentrate just on playing football. I said all along that I wanted to stay at Liverpool and now that I have signed I can say this is the best and the biggest moment in my career so far.
"From the first day I arrived at Liverpool the feeling was good and I knew this was where I wanted to play my football. It's good news for me and my family that everything is sorted and I know where my future is going to be. I just want to do my best for the fans and the people of the club.
"I am at a top side and I know I can win titles here. That's the big thing for me. I want to be at a club where we can win trophies and have success."
Benitez added: "We must be really pleased with the situation now. He has been a key player for us since he has been here and now we know he can be a key player in our future.
"From the start we knew Javier was a player with quality and a fantastic mentality. We knew the player when he was in the reserves at River Plate but was playing for the senior national team and we had been monitoring his career since then.
"He is young but he has great experience having played for his country. We knew he would be a good signing for us. It's clear that he is one of the best midfielders in the world but he can get better with us. We now have a lot of good options in the centre of midfield and that's good news for the club."
Chief Executive Rick Parry said the Mascherano signing was proof that Liverpool had not become paralysed by the uncertainty over the future ownership of the club, with American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks reportedly considering selling out to Dubai Investment Capital.
"It demonstrates that life at the club goes on despite all of the speculation to the contrary and it also demonstrates in very large measure the ongoing commitment of the owners who once again have come good when funds have been needed."
(AFP) Friday 29 February 2008
Liverpool on Friday secured the services of Javier Mascherano on a long-term basis after the Argentinian midfielder signed a four-year contract with the club.
The announcement brings to an end a protracted and controversial saga over the future of the 23-year-old, who joined Liverpool on loan in January 2007.
Mascherano previously played for West Ham but rights to the player were owned by the Media Sports Investments consortium. Liverpool did not disclose how much they paid to MSI to make Mascherano's loan deal permanent but the player had been valued at around £18 million.
News that Liverpool have produced the funds necessary will come as a relief to manager Rafael Benitez, who had feared that other clubs would come in for a player regarded as one of the finest defensive midfielders in the world. Mascherano described the completion of the negotiations as the best moment of his career to date.
He said: "I am very, very happy and now I can concentrate just on playing football. I said all along that I wanted to stay at Liverpool and now that I have signed I can say this is the best and the biggest moment in my career so far.
"From the first day I arrived at Liverpool the feeling was good and I knew this was where I wanted to play my football. It's good news for me and my family that everything is sorted and I know where my future is going to be. I just want to do my best for the fans and the people of the club.
"I am at a top side and I know I can win titles here. That's the big thing for me. I want to be at a club where we can win trophies and have success."
Benitez added: "We must be really pleased with the situation now. He has been a key player for us since he has been here and now we know he can be a key player in our future.
"From the start we knew Javier was a player with quality and a fantastic mentality. We knew the player when he was in the reserves at River Plate but was playing for the senior national team and we had been monitoring his career since then.
"He is young but he has great experience having played for his country. We knew he would be a good signing for us. It's clear that he is one of the best midfielders in the world but he can get better with us. We now have a lot of good options in the centre of midfield and that's good news for the club."
Chief Executive Rick Parry said the Mascherano signing was proof that Liverpool had not become paralysed by the uncertainty over the future ownership of the club, with American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks reportedly considering selling out to Dubai Investment Capital.
"It demonstrates that life at the club goes on despite all of the speculation to the contrary and it also demonstrates in very large measure the ongoing commitment of the owners who once again have come good when funds have been needed."
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