Brendan Rodgers says Daniel Agger wants to stay at Liverpool, despite Manchester City interest
Thursday 16 August 2012
Related articles
-
Brendan Rodgers begins talks with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez over new contract
-
Brendan Rodgers set to hand striker Samed Yesil Liverpool debut in Europa League
-
All Liverpool players must take responsibility for scoring goals says Daniel Agger
-
Brendan Rodgers reiterates Andy Carroll will not be allowed to leave Liverpool on loan
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has stressed both he and defender Daniel Agger see the player remaining at the club.
However, the future of Andy Carroll remains less favourable after the Northern Irishman admitted he would prefer to tinker with his preferred way of playing before using the England striker's obvious strengths in the air as a Plan B.
Agger has two years remaining on his contract but has been the subject of two serious enquiries from Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City.
Despite Rodgers admitting a week ago that "every player has his price and we will see where it goes" he insists Agger is one he intends to keep.
"For me there has been no big change. The first point is we don't want to sell him," said Rodgers.
"Secondly, I believe he will be a player who will thrive in this way of working and thirdly he doesn't want to leave - which is a great help as well.
"He is a top player and I want to keep him here. Over the last couple of months we have been able to sell the project and vision to a number of senior players.
"They are very happy to move forward with it and I would expect Daniel to be the same.
"He made that clear in the very first conversation we had that he wanted to be part of our revolution here in terms of moving forward and he hasn't wavered from that in any single way whatsoever.
"Other reported clubs have made bids for him, which is natural, because he is a top player.
"But for us nothing has changed: he doesn't want to go and we don't want to sell him."
The situation is different for Carroll, who has attracted interest from former club Newcastle and Premier League rivals West Ham.
It is clear he will not be first choice as he does not fit into Rodgers' passing and pressing gameplan which he developed so well at former club Swansea and has now introduced at Anfield.
And while he still believes the England international can be effective for them he suggested it would be a while before he changed his principles and went for the alternative option.
"He knows where he stands. He is an important part of our group and that is how I see it at the moment," added the 39-year-old.
"If you are a team that puts crosses in and are firing them in from all angles he is a great player in the box.
"Naturally his height and his power gives him that strength but if you play a different style it is that much more difficult.
"Most managers have a way of playing and a Plan A in terms of the way they want to play.
"I will always try to make Plan A better before I go to Plan B. If trying to make Plan A better doesn't work then we go to Plan B and then probably Plan C.
"Andy's strengths are someone else's weakness but we have that flexibility in the group and that will serve us well going forward.
"There is no doubt he is happy to be here, which is important, and of course every player wants to play but there are not many players here you can promise will play.
"All he wants to do is work hard every day in training and hopefully get an opportunity at some stage to show his form.
"If that doesn't happen then he'll be like every other player, because they want to play games.
"He is concentrating on being here and we will see what develops."
Rodgers said there was nothing imminent in terms of players leaving, either on loan or permanently, but he hopes to learn in the next 48 hours whether his next two transfer targets will be arriving.
He has been strongly linked with loan deals for Barcelona winger Cristian Tello, 21, and Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin, 23, but would not confirm those were the players in his immediate thoughts.
"We hope in the next couple of days we'll have one or two coming in," he said.
"Hopefully in the next 48 hours we will find out."
PA
Sport blogs
Brits on fire in the wet at Le Mans!
Wow - what a weekend for British Motorcycle racing!
by Luke Wilkins
22 May 2013 05:00 AM
iBet: Bale and Rooney transfer specials
The dust is barely settling on the Premier League season and the bookies are looking to persuade us ...
by Gareth Purnell
22 May 2013 02:01 AM
A changing of the guards in English football: From Sir Alex Ferguson to Jose Mourinho
The guard has changed at Old Trafford for the first time in 26 years. Meanwhile, down the road, the ...
by The Sports Lawyer
21 May 2013 10:01 PM
-
Gaël Clichy: Roberto Mancini must take share of blame for dismissal
-
Sergio Garcia apologises for 'fried chicken' remark aimed towards Tiger Woods
-
Exclusive: Championship clubs set to push for safe-standing trials
-
Phil Neville in frame for role at Stoke City
-
Andy Carroll stalls on £15m move to West Ham in hope Newcastle step in
- 1 Terror at Woolwich barracks: Attacker tried to behead and disembowel British soldier
- 2 Mothers' diets may harm IQs in two-thirds of babies
- 3 Gay couple beaten in park urge MPs to moderate language on gay marriage
- 4 After woman sells virginity for $780,000, here are the results of our prostitution survey
- 5 Far-right French historian, 78-year-old Dominique Venner, commits suicide in Notre Dame in protest against gay marriage
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Day In a Page
How to say ‘I’m a sellout’
Why clubs are keen to take a stand



Comments