Gary
16/03/2005, 12:22 PM
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has insisted that controversial Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf will not leave the club for less than £4 million.
Diouf is currently on a season-long loan at Liverpool's Premiership rivals Bolton.
Although his form for The Trotters has been good, the twice winner of the African Footballer of the Year award has cut a controversial figure for his behaviour on the pitch.
He was handed a three-game ban after being caught spitting at Portsmouth's Arjan de Zeeuw in November, and attracted more bad publicity after being sent off for elbowing Arsenal's Jens Lehmann last weekend.
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce warned that his latest misdemeanour could scupper any permanent move to The Reebok, but news of Benitez's demands could do similar anyway.
Allardyce is renowned for bringing in players on cut-price deals, and Liverpool's attempts to recoup £4 million of the £10 million they shelled out on Diouf look likely to put him beyond The Trotters' reach.
"If Diouf continues playing well we will wait for an offer of £4-5 million," stated Benitez.
"If we do not get such an offer then we will use Diouf for next season here."
The Reds boss, who seemed certain to offload Diouf in the summer, insists he will happily re-introduce the forward into his squad if an appropriate offer does not come in for him.
"If we decide to bring Diouf back here because we do not have a good enough offer, he will come back and be with us and be on the bench, maybe playing some games," he continued. "We do not know for sure yet.
"It is always good to have good substitutes. I do not have problems with him over discipline.
"We know that Diouf has a contract with us for some time into the future. He is playing very well, that is true.
"We know for this club it is very important to have good players, maybe players for the squad."
Who in their right mind would pay such money for a liability like Diouf. He may be a class player (when he wants to be), but after incidents like the one at Arsenal the other proves no team needs a player like that.
Diouf is currently on a season-long loan at Liverpool's Premiership rivals Bolton.
Although his form for The Trotters has been good, the twice winner of the African Footballer of the Year award has cut a controversial figure for his behaviour on the pitch.
He was handed a three-game ban after being caught spitting at Portsmouth's Arjan de Zeeuw in November, and attracted more bad publicity after being sent off for elbowing Arsenal's Jens Lehmann last weekend.
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce warned that his latest misdemeanour could scupper any permanent move to The Reebok, but news of Benitez's demands could do similar anyway.
Allardyce is renowned for bringing in players on cut-price deals, and Liverpool's attempts to recoup £4 million of the £10 million they shelled out on Diouf look likely to put him beyond The Trotters' reach.
"If Diouf continues playing well we will wait for an offer of £4-5 million," stated Benitez.
"If we do not get such an offer then we will use Diouf for next season here."
The Reds boss, who seemed certain to offload Diouf in the summer, insists he will happily re-introduce the forward into his squad if an appropriate offer does not come in for him.
"If we decide to bring Diouf back here because we do not have a good enough offer, he will come back and be with us and be on the bench, maybe playing some games," he continued. "We do not know for sure yet.
"It is always good to have good substitutes. I do not have problems with him over discipline.
"We know that Diouf has a contract with us for some time into the future. He is playing very well, that is true.
"We know for this club it is very important to have good players, maybe players for the squad."
Who in their right mind would pay such money for a liability like Diouf. He may be a class player (when he wants to be), but after incidents like the one at Arsenal the other proves no team needs a player like that.