Rafael Benitez has announced his resignation as manager of Liverpool after failing to win any silverware in the second consecutive season.
Liverpool ended second to fierce rivals Manchester United in the Premier League, they lost to Chelsea in the quarter finals of the Champions League and also lost in the quarter finals of the FA Cup to City rivals Everton.
Liverpool announced that the former Valencia boss, who has won the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup in his four years in charge in England - had decided to step down.
Benitez said in a statement on the club's official website: "I have enjoyed my time immensely at Liverpool and clearly I will be sad to leave this great club. As I have said before, Liverpool is a special club, with special supporters. There is no club like it and it has been an absolute honour and privilege to be the club's manager for the past five years.
"We have done all we can to bring success to the club and we were delighted to win the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup, as well as making some great progress in England. It is just disappointing that we did not manage a single Premier League title during the five years.
"However, the players can hold their heads high in terms of what they have done for the club in recent years. I thank all the players I have worked with at the club and, of course, my backroom team for the backing and assistance which they have given me. I thank the fans too for the tremendous support which they have given both myself and the players. I wish Liverpool and our supporters nothing but success for the future."
Liverpool chief executive Purslow said: "Rafa has given everything to the club and worked tirelessly to bring success to Liverpool. He has achieved a lot at both domestic and European levels.
"We thank Rafa for his commitment and achievements at the club and we also thank our fans for backing us all the way this season. Our fans know how to support their club and we will be doing all we can to once again bring back the Premier League to Anfield, something which our support deserves."
Speaking on the successor to Rafael Benitez, Purslow said: "I haven't got any potential manager lined up, however the short list will be drawn in the next fewdays, yet the opportunity over here at Liverpool is more than at any other club."
When also asked on whether he'd consider selling any players to Real Madrid, with Fernando Torres being linked with a move to Madrid, Purslow said: "We won't sell any of our best players to any club, especially the club's best striker."
Liverpool's next manager:-
Kenny Daglish - 3/1
Jose Mourinho - 5/1
Martin O'Neill - 12/1
Sven-Goran Eriksson - 13/1
Kevin Keegan - 13/1
Michael Laudrup - 15/1
Sammy Lee - 18/1
Ray Clemence - 20/1
Steve McMahon - 20/1
Juande Ramos - 25/1
Jurgen Klinsman - 30/1
Steve McLaren - 1000/1
Fernando Torres has spoke for the first time following the walk out of former Valencia boss Rafael Benitez. The Liverpool forward spoke in an interview to BBC Sport earlier today on the departure of his fellow countryman manager and the future of Liverpool football club.
Fernando, first of all, your personal feelings towards Benitez leaving.
I'm really disappointed in the club, it is very sad to me as a player. He was a huge part of this club and was heavily involved with all the players. He was the reason why i decided to join Liverpool and reject the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. He will be missed by all of us. It was a sad day.
How does the walking out of Rafa, affects your future at the club?
Well, I don't know yet about my future. I am very happy to stay over here and play in the Premier League with Liverpool. The players and fans have supported me since I have arrived here and I want to repay them by winning more titles. But I don't know what is going to happen in the future.
Do you think many Spanish players will follow Rafa's footsteps and leave the club?
I want to stay here at Liverpool, I don't know what the other Spanish players want. But I feel they all should stay here for the incredible supporters and give their best with new manager.
Finally, Who would you want to replace Benitez over here at Anfield?
I really don't know, I am not focused on it at all. Its for the chairman and the owners to select the right person for the job who could take the club forward and fulfill the objectives. Whoever is appointed, the players will give their best and we will always give more than hundred percent on the pitch.
Liverpool are yet t give away any names on their shortlist and no news has come in as of yet to who has possibly been offered the job. Its a tough one to call but fans' favourite Kenny Daglish remains favourite, followed by the 'Special One' Jose Mourinho.
Who next for Reds? Skysports.com looks at candidates for Anfield hotseat Last updated: 19th June 2009
Kenny Dalglish hot favorite for the job
Rafael Benitez has stepped down as the Liverpool manager - and already speculation is mounting as to who will succeed him at Anfield.
Sky Sports News understands Kenny Dalglish could be in line for an amazing return while Jose Mourinho and Sven-Goran Eriksson are also touted as possible candidates for the job.
Skysports.com runs the rule over the names in the frame to take charge at Anfield
Kenny Dalglish: A legend during his playing days at Liverpool, Dalgish would be a hugely popular choice among the Anfield faithful. The former Blackburn and Newcastle manager could be set for an amazing return to Liverpool as a manager, who guided them to win their last League title.
Jose Mourinho: The 'Special One', who currently guided Inter to their consecutive fourth Serie A title is reported to be high on Liverpool's wish list. The former Chelsea manager said he would consider a return to England and this could be the right job he is waiting for.
Sven-Goran Eriksson: The former England manager was recently sacked by Mexico national team due to the team's poor form in the World Cup qualifiers. The Swede remains a high profile candidate and also knows about the Premier league having managed Manchester City recently.
Frank Rijkaard: The former Barcelona boss has been out of work since leaving the Catalan club at the end of last season. During his five-year spell at Camp Nou, the 46-year-old led Barca to two league titles as well as UEFA Champions League success when they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the 2005-06 final.
Roberto Mancini: The 44-year-old Italian was sacked by Inter Milan at the end of last season despite leading them to the past three Serie A titles. He remains a high-profile candidate despite remaining out of work and has history in England having played at Leicester at the start of the decade.
Kevin Keegan: Another former Reds favourite, Keegan the former Newcastle United, Manchester city and England boss is also tipped for a return to management after he left Newcastle last season.
Liverpool have made an approach for 'The Special One', the former Chelsea manager and now Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho to replace Rafa Benitez at Liverpool, according to reports.
The previous Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez stepped down from his post a couple of weeks ago after five years in charge of the Merseyside club. Liverpool ended the season without any silverware after they finish the season second behind Manchester United in the Premier Leauge. They were also knocked out by Chelsea and Everton in the quarter finals of the Champions League and FA Cup respectively.
Former Liverpool favourite Kenny Dalglish, along with former England and Mexico coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, have been linked with the job. However, reports now claim that Inter boss Mourinho is the Liverpool co-owner's prime target to succeed Benitez in the hot seat.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Liverpool approached the Serie A champions on Saturday for permission to speak to Mourinho. The former Benfica and Porto manager performed a fantastic job at Stamford Bridge during his time with the London club couple of seasons ago. Mourinho led the club to two consecutive Premier League titles, two Carling Cups and a FA Cup victory over Manchester united in the finals.
He has been mooted as an eventual successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford and is also under consideration to take over at Real Madrid under the new president Florentino Perez. Inter would be loath to lose the Portuguese who won them the Serie A in his first year in charge, but reports suggest Liverpool are ready to offer Mourinho ?3million a year to move to Anfield.
Inter Milan have granted permission for Jose Mourinho to hold talks with Liverpool. Liverpool parted company with Rafa Benitez a couple of weeks and have installed the Inter boss as their first choice to succeed the Spaniard.
Mourinho has been fantatsic during his managerial career, leading Porto to Champions League glory and also guiding Chelsea to two consecutive Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one Carling Cup. He also lead Inter to win the Serie A in his first season in Italy.
He is also believed to be in the frame for the vacant hot-seat at Real Madrid, while he is regarded in some quarters as being the natural successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United once the legendary Red Devils boss finally slips into retirement. Despite he being linked strongly with Manchester United, arch rivals Liverpool are keen to get a manager on board with proven top flight record and see Mourinho as the best candidate.
With the Reds' ambitious owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet likely to make substantial transfer funds available at Merseyside this summer, Mourinho will be aware of the considerable potential at the club. The Portuguese is keen to return back to England and coach at the highest possible level and his current employers have reluctantly agreed to let him begin discussions with their English rivals.
A statement released by Inter on their official website reads as follows: "FC Internazionale can confirm that they have received an approach from Liverpool for permission to talk to Jose Mourinho in regards to him becoming their manager.
"Jose has made it clear to the Board that he would like the opportunity to talk with Liverpool. In view of this the Board have decided reluctantly to give permission subject to terms and conditions acceptable to FC Internazionale being agreed with Liverpool in advance.
"The club will not be making any further comment at this stage."
Inter Milan have confirmed they have agreed a compensation package with Liverpool for manager Jose Mourinho. Having parted company with Rafael Benitez three weeks ago, Liverpool have not wasted much time in identifying Mourinho as the man to succeed the Spaniard.
Liverpool co-owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks were granted permission by Inter MIlan to hold discussions with Mourinho on Monday. And the Liverpool co-owners have now reached an agreement with Inter Milan for Mourinho, who is also understood to be a target of Real Madrid.
A statement on Inter Milan's official website read: "FC Internazionale can confirm that they have reached an agreement with Liverpool on compensation terms for Jose Mourinho. Now Jose Mourinho can hold talks with Liverpool and can decide upon his future untill Thursday."
Meanwhile, Liverpool have confirmed that Sammy Lee and Xavi Valero have left their posts as assistant manager and goalkeeper coach, respectively, in the wake of Benitez's departure.
Chief executive Purslow told Reds's official website: "Both Sammy and Xavi made a positive impact on those involved with Liverpool over the course of the last five seasons. We thank them for their contribution and wish them every success in the future."
Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, 'The Special One' has been appointed as the new manager of Liverpool after signing a three-year contract.
Mourinho held talks with the Liverpool hierarchy in Milan on Tuesday evening and agreed to leave Inter Milan after a second round of talks on Wednesday. Liverpool's only concern was a late move by Real Madrid, but Sky Sports believes Mourinho was never a serious contender. And Liverpool co-owners Tm Hicks and George Gillet have now landed their top target after Rafael Benitez' departure.
George Gillet said: "He's an outstanding manager who has achieved many great things with the clubs he has managed. Jose was always the first choice of our new executive chairman, Puslow. Together they will make a great team. They will both prove to be excellent acquisitions, I'm sure."
"These are exciting times for Liverpool and I hope the supporters can understand that I share their goals. That sometimes means making ruthless decisions. Now we can go forward to a new era, with a new management structure and great hope and ambition."
Purslow, who was appointed as executive chairman two months ago, said: "In our view Jose is the best manager in the game and he was our number one target for the manager's job.
"He made it clear to us from the moment we met that he shared our vision and ambition to make Liverpool one of the top sides in the country and also in the whole world. The club intends to invest in new players as well as securing the long term services of key members of the current first team squad.
"Jose has already identified some of the players and backroom staff that he wants to see here at Liverpool, and we will begin the process of recruiting them immediately."
The Portuguse has guided Inter to their fourth consecutive Serie A triumph in his first season in Italy, but recently indicated he wanted to return to England where he won two consecutive Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one Carling Cup with Chelsea before he left the club in 2007.
Inter Milan chairman Massimo Moratti paid tribute to Mourinho.
He said: "We have enjoyed a first-class, mutually beneficial relationship with Jose. He leaves the club in a strong position as the champions of Italy and an excellent squad of players.
"In turn, we have helped Jose to fulfill his desire to return ton England and manage a big club in the form of Liverpool. We wish him well. We would have liked him to stay on, but he made it clear he wanted to return to England for fresh challenge."
Mourinho who was unveiled at a press conference at Anfield said: "I am under a lot of pressure to achieve at Liverpool. Every Premier League manager is under pressure. But I will surely be able cope with it easily as I have the experience of managing one of the top four teams in England.
"I always wanted to come back to England once I signed for Inter Milan and this Liverpool job was too hard to reject. Liverpool are a very good club with great fans and great players like Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso to name a few and I am sure they will achieve a lot in the coming seasons. Its going to be very exciting to work with them and achieve our goals.
"I would like to thank everyone at Inter for supporting me throughout the season especially the fans who have been brilliant. But they all knew that I always wanted to return to England and they helped me fulfill that desire of mine. I would like to thank them for that."
Liverpool have today confirmed that the iconic Kenny Dalglish is back at the club as a senior role at the club's academy, he has played for and managed to glory.
Kenny Dalglish will be helping the newly appointed manager Jose Mourinho in a role at the club's academy, as well as acting as a club ambassador. His ambassadorial duties will include helping the club's commercial and business operations around the world.
Reds chief executive Christian Purslow was delighted to welcome the Scotsman back to Anfield, telling the club's official website, "In our very first meeting Jose and I agreed that we wanted to try and bring Kenny back to the club to help Jose really drive forward our academy which is at the heart of our plans for the future. We are delighted he has agreed to join us and I am sure he will be very successful in his new role back at the club."
Dalglish collected a host of trophies during a lengthy career at Anfield, and is rememebered for, amongst many other heroic feats, scoring the Reds' winner against Club Brugge in the 1978 European Cup Final At Wembley.
"I spoke to manager Jose Mourinho a few days ago and things have progressed from there," Dalglish told the Liverpool website. "Now that it has come to fruition I am very excited, but also a bit nervous."
Dalglish's arrival back at Anfield has been mooted for some time and comes during a summer in which Liverpool have conducted sweeping changes behind the scenes.
"Jose has made a very brave decision to revamp the academy," added Dalglish. "People who come to the academy should be delighted that Jose is taking such an interest in the development of the young players."
After leaving Liverpool in February 1991, Dalglish had spells as manager of Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United before a stint as director of football at Celtic, who he left in 2000.
"I am really pleased to have Kenny as a part of the staff," said Mourinho. "We were looking for someone who has a knowledge and a passion for the club and Kenny is the perfect choice. We are changing things at the academy, we are bringing in new ideas and new people but we're keeping the spirit and the heart of the club. Kenny has played for the club, he's managed the club, he's done everything. He's a fantastic signing."
Real Madrid have confirmed the signings of Spanish duo Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee which is rumoured to be around ?35.5million.
The Spanish duo successfully underwent their medical at the Spanish capital before signing their three-year contract. Later that evening they were presented in front of the Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Xabi Alosno who has been the key part of Liverpool's midfield since signing for the Reds in 2004 said:"Its a dream for any footballer to have signed for Real Madrid, and at any time. Its because Rea Madrid have such a great history, that any player would be tempted to join the club.
"Its was always my dream to wear the white jersey of Real Madrid and today it is completed. I am very excited and looking forward to be playing in front of the fans over here in Madrid and alongside the best players of world like Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul, Casillas and many more.
I would also like to thank everyone at Liverpool. The fans over there have been brilliant and I wouldn't forget throughout my life. The players, the manager all have been very supporting and that's the reason I am over here today. I hope to return back to Liverpool some day."
Arbeloa who has appeared a total of 98 times for Liverpool since joining from Deportivo in 2007 said:"It was always my dream to play for Real Madrid and today it has been fulfilled. Like Xabi, I am also excited to play alongside the best players, and I can't wait for the new season to start. I am sure Real Madrid this season will win many titles."
Alonso and Arbeloa will join former Liverpool goalkeeper and team mat Jerzy Dudek at Real. Alonso and Dudek were part of the famous night in Istanbul when Liverpool lifted the European Cup after a penalty shoot-out victory over AC Milan in 2005. Now, of the 18 players on the team sheet in Istanbul that night, only Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher are still with the club.
Real Madrid's general director, Jorge Valdano said:" We are very happy because we have completed rebuilding our squad in the best possible way. Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa were worth fighting for because they are important part of our plans.
“But Xabi’s and Alvaro's arrival concludes the matter of signings. The coach, before he left for his holidays, said that the team needed reinforcements in two positions, in defence and in midfield, and that is what we have done. Personally, I am very happy withe the squad because of the fact that it has been rejuvenated."
Liverpool have confirmed that they have completed the signing of Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani from AS Roma for an undisclosed fee which is thought to be in the region of ?20million.
Jose Mourinho the new Liverpool boss has wasted no time in signing the 25-year-old Alberto Aquilani as a replacement for Xabi Alonso who joined Real Madrid a couple of days ago.
Aquilani who has signed a five-year contract with the Anfield club after successfully passing the medical told the club's official website:"Today is a very special day for me. I am very happy with this new challenge in my footballing career. I always wanted to play for a big Premier League club and today I am very happy to have signed for Liverpool.
"Its a great privilege to be able to play with the great players like Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Mascherano, Carragher and Reina. Liverpool have the best supporters not only in England but in the whole world and I want to play for them and with titles for them as they truly deserve."
Jose Mourinho who completed his second signing today said:"Alberto is a very good player and I am delighted we have signed him. Like Glen(Johnson), Alberto has the winning mentality which is needed. He has great experience in both Serie A and the Champions League.
"He has long been recognised as a top class talent in Italy, captaining his country at both under 19 and under 21 levels before establishing himself in the national side. He will be a natural replacement of xabi Alosno who joined Real Madrid a couple of days ago."
Liverpool goalkeeper Charles Itandje and striker Andriy Voronin have left the Reds, whilst Mourinho has completed the signing fo eighteen-year old Argentine midfielder Franco Zuculini.
Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin was chased by Newcastle, Bolton, Wigan and Middlesbrough however it was Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa he chose to go when the ?2.8million offer was accepted.
Voronin spent one season at Liverpool since signing for free back in two-thousand-and-seven from Bayer Leverkusen. He made twenty-eight appearances at Anfield scoring six goals overall. Later he was loaned out to Hertha Berlin for a season where he scored eleven goals in twenty-six appearances.
European Champions Barcelona have completed the signing of Charles Itandje earlier today. The twenty-six-year-old French goalkeeper made just eight appearances for the Reds since moving from Lens in two-thousand-and-seven.
Host of clubs like Fulham, Lens, FC Koln, AC Milan were interested to sign the French keeper but Itandje decided to join the current La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League holders when the ?2.2million offer was accepted.
Franco Zuculini becomes the third signing under Jose Mourinho from Racing Club of Argentina for a total fee ?500k. He will spend the whole season on loan at the club. Whilst Emiliano Insua has joined Roy Keane's Ipswich Town on a six-month loan deal.
Mourinho told the club's official website "I wish all the best to both Andriy and Charles, both wanted to leave and we didn't want to keep players who didn't want to play for the club, there were a few in for him but he accepted Barca's offer of twenty-thousand-pounds a week. Andriy is also a great footballer and it looks like we'll be seeing him when we play Aston Villa at both Anfield and Villa Park this season. Franco is a bright talent and we are delighted to have snapped him. I am sure he will one day become the best midfielder in the whole world."
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