In Reponse To...Matthew Fearon From The Times Online, Discussing Benitez

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

This is an article in response to the piece written by Matthew Fearon in Sunday's edition of The Times Online.

In this misleading piece of journalism, Matthew believes Rafael Benitez has wasted £14m on Djibril Cisse; that he spent £41m on eight players in his first transfer window, who are no longer on the team; and that Chelsea are the only club currently in the Premier League who can outspend Liverpool.

Matthew also kindly suggests that the Liverpool manager should turn to some more imaginative excuses, because The Times sports correspondant feels with this piece he has vindicated the bemoans of Benitez, and quashed this apparent myth created by the Spaniard that Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City can outspend Liverpool, if they choose to.

• "Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez bemoaned his side’s lack of financial power".

...compared to richer clubs. Which can not really be argued with considering Chelsea, whether they choose to spend or not, have proven with a £212m outlay in player transfers in two seasons alone. The same can now be said for Manchester City and their astronomical transfer budget that produced £181m in three seasons, thanks to outside investment into Eastlands.

Benitez is not trying to play the pauper who has no money whatsoever, as some hacks and rival fans like to dress it up as.

His issue is simple; that he does not have the financial power utilised by the teams Liverpool are expected to beat to the Premier League title. He has a limited transfer budget, relatively small in comparison to teams like City and Chelsea. 

• "Benitez wasted no time in splashing the cash on his arrival on Merseyside."

What else was he going to do? wait a season or two first? you make it sound like Benitez is a money grabbing prostitute who has just been picked up by a dashing millionaire and then given his credit card to buy some new clothes. 

• "In his first season at the club his net spending totalled £31m, including £20m on the misfiring strike partnership of Djibril Cisse and Fernando Morientes".

It was actually Gerard Houllier and Rick Parry who sanctioned and purchased Djibril Cisse for £14m. The ink on the contract happened to dry just after Houllier left the club and the current manager took control of the reigns.

Therefore, Benitez' actual first season net spend, with the correct transfer fees used, was a profit of £19.15m (spent £27.25m, recouped £46.4m) and he only sanctioned £6.5m of the £20.3m misfiring strike force, Matthew speaks of.

The Liverpool boss signed a world-renowned, experienced and proven goal scorer that, at the time, a great many neutrals and experts considered a coup at just over £6million.

Much like Diego Forlan and Andriy Shevchenko being considered potential success' in England, before both players failing in their quest for greatness in the Premier League, and both coming at a loss greater than that of Fernando Morientes.

Agreed, Morientes certainly didn't work out for the club, but hindsight is a shallow way to attack a manger for putting his faith in a good bet.

To also highlight a manager's net spend after his first transfer window should be considered a little unjust. If there is considerable work to be done in the overhauling of the squad, as there was with the 2003-04 group of players, then there will undoubtedly be a large outlay, if the budget allows for it.

As to the actual transfer fees payed for the players Rafa bought in 2004; and taking in to account the small oversight with Djibril Cisse resulting in an extra £14m being added to Rafa's spend total; it is £27.45m spent on seven players in his first transfer window, and £28.6m recouped from the sale of those initial transfers.

The transfers of players sold in that window that where bought by Houllier, should have no bearing on Rafael Benitez as a manager in the transfer market. If the net spend argument is going to be used, it at least needs to be realistic. 

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