Liverpool will wear a new 'Euro Away' kit as they travel round the continent next term. Finished in a retro-looking aqua/green/teal colour with black collars and white adidas stripes, the shirt is matched with black shorts.
Manufactured by Adidas, the shirt is made from 100% polyester, anatomically cut and features Climacool technology to bring out the best performance in the players under any given conditions.
The Euro Away kit will also double up as the team's third kit in the English Premier League.
Liverpool have signed Tottenham striker Robbie Keane on a four-year contract for a fee that could rise to £20.3m.
The 28 year-old Republic of Ireland captain will join the club he has supported from a young age on a reported salary of around £80,000 a week and will be a direct replacement for the recently departed Peter Crouch.
Despite becoming the fifth summer addition to Rafa Benitez's first-team squad after the arrival of David Ngog, Diego Cavalieri, Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena, Keane is by far the biggest and most expensive signing to arrive at Anfield and is tipped by most pundits to form a formidable first-choice partnership with the prolific Fernando Torres in attack.
The transfer is the sixth major move of Keane's career which includes spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Coventry City, Inter Milan, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur. In his personal statement to Spurs, the striker said:
"I would like to place on record my thanks to the board, players and fans of Tottenham for the past six years, which were the best and most enjoyable of my career to date.
"I will never forget them. I would specifically like to thank chairman Daniel Levy for understanding, that, as a fan, joining Liverpool is a lifelong dream of mine and one I couldn't let pass me by.
"I hope one day the Spurs fans, who have been brilliant to me, can understand this too.
"I have only good things to say about my time at Tottenham and expect them to go from strength to strength under Juande Ramos and Daniel Levy."
The Republic of Ireland's all-time leading goalscorer could make his first start in a Liverpool shirt this Saturday.
The transfer saga over Javier Mascherano is expected to be completed this week with Liverpool set to pay £18.6 million for the Argentina midfielder who is currently owned by a company called Media Sports Investment (MSI).
The defensive lynchpin spoke to Liverpoolfc.tv after the 3-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday and was hopeful a deal could be sealed by the end of the week.
Proclaiming his love for the Kop, Mascherano said: "The fans like me and I love the fans. They are great and that's the reason I want to stay here.
It's not finished yet but I am hoping to stay here. I have a lot of confidence that after the next week I will be able to say, 'Everything is right and I am staying here in Liverpool.'
"We now need to wait. We are very close but we need to talk again next week. I think everything will be okay. I've waited a long time, so I can wait one week more."
Mascherano up against his mate Carlos Tevez of Man Utd
The Argentina midfielder is currently registered as a Reds player on a long-term loan from owners MSI. He previously played for West Ham but joined the Merseysiders in January 2007 and helped play a vital role in Liverpool's march to the Champions League final.
'Masch' came through the ranks at South American giants River Plate and such was his potential that he earned his first international call-up before kicking a ball for his club.
The latest report out of the UK is that Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have completed a £350m refinancing deal to repay money borrowed for their £218.9m takeover in March 2007.
BBC sports editor Mihir Bose said: £60m of the package will provide the start-up money for the new ground.
The deal, which is expected to be announced on Friday, underlines the pair's determination to remain at Anfield despite interest from Dubai International Capital (DIC), the investment arm of the Dubai government.
It also means that the club can finally launch their long-awaited plan for a new stadium at Stanley Park.
Fans would happily usher these two out of Anfield
While the refinancing deal could come a long way to offering some much needed stability at the club, it is likely the pair will continue to incur the wrath of the Kop for their despicable treatment of manager Rafael Benitez for some time yet.
The Kop faithful are still fuming over reports that the American owners approached Jurgen Klinsmann as a possible replacement - 'insurance policy' in the words of GIllet and Hicks - for manager Rafael Benitez.
According to the BBC: A survey carried out by the Liverpool Supporters' network showed that 76% of 2,000 fans questioned said they would "seriously consider reducing their financial commitment to the club" if the current owners stayed in charge.
When asked to choose between the owners and the manager as to who had the best interest of the club at heart, 99% backed Benitez.
And when even Sir Alex Ferguson, boss of bitter rivals Manchester United, comes forward to say that "what happened was a bad piece of business on Liverpool's part, no doubt about that", that really is saying something.
Is Liverpool defensive midfielder Mohamed "Momo" Sissoko leaving or not?
That is the discussion on the lips of most Kop fans at the moment. The player has been quoted saying that he was 'very close' to joining Italian giants Juventus during this month's transfer window.
The Mali international has failed to win a regular place this season and some would go as far as to say that he hasn't been the same ever since the eye injury he suffered last season. The player has been further unsettled by boss Rafael Benitez's admission that the club were open to the 'right club and the right offer' for the 22-year-old.
Despite all this, there has yet to be a firm offer for the player from Juventus or any other club for that matter with Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli scoffing at the rumours and that the club will not make any acquisitions in the January transfer market.
While Sissoko remains an important member of Benitez's squad, the club would actually be better off selling the unsettled player and using the funds generated by his sale to secure the long-term services of Argentine Javier Mascherano.
With Mascherano's loan deal set to finish at the end of the season, it should be Rafa's priority in securing the services of this talented defensive midfielder and not on retaining an unsettled player whose heart is set on a move away from the club.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is set to go shopping in January as the transfer market opens in Europe.
Having resolved his spat with the American owners of the club, the Spaniard's hand has been forced to spend money on new recruits not because he wants to, but because the team is in a central-defensive crisis at the moment.
With veteran Sami Hyypia sidelined by an ankle injury and first-choice Daniel Agger still to recover from a broken foot, the gaffer was forced to pick Alvaro Arbeloa in a make-shift defence alongside lynchpin Jamie Carragher in Sunday's nil-all draw with Manchester City.
"We are working hard to find some solutions," Rafa explained. "I think we are close to some players, but until they sign you don't know.
"We are looking for players that will be good for us now and in the future."
The names being touted at the moment are Fiorentina's Czech Republic international Tomas Ujfalusi, AC Milan's Kakha Kaladze and Racing Santander's £8million-rated Ezequiel Garay.
The mid-season transfer window is a tricky time to do business as most clubs are unwilling to part with their best players during mid season which means unwanted players (by their respective clubs) are usually the only ones available. Clubs also tend to slap inflated pricetags on certain players to deter prospective buyers - another circumstance that Benitez has to tackle in his bid to solve Liverpool's defensive crisis and to maintain the heat on current Premiership leaders, Arsenal.
After a blistering start to life in the English Premiership, Liverpool's Fernando Torres talks to the club's official website about life in England and the rich vein of form he is in at the moment.
Having scored twelve goals already this season, Liverpool's record signing has settled down better than anyone would have expected for a player his age (23) in his rookie season at a new club in a foreign country.
With one goal in every 1.6 matches this season, Torres has surpassed his goal scoring exploits with former club, Atletico Madrid, by a huge margin - his record at Atletico was 82 goals in 214 league appearances.
Fernando Torres celebrates yet another goal
When asked about his brilliant form, the humble Spaniard credited his team-mates for helping him settle down at the club:
Strikers only really score goals because of the efforts of their teammates. So far I've been scoring pretty much a goal a game and I feel very lucky and happy with that. It's in a large way down to the very good teammates I have. At Liverpool we always play with a high tempo and with a good rhythm, so that helps.
He was also asked to compare about English football and the football in his native Spain and this is what he had to say:
Well, I would say football in England is better. It is more attractive than football in Spain, I would say, and certainly faster. It's more physical. The progress of the game is slower and there are a lot more fouls in Spain. The football here is more dynamic and it is more fun for the team and the individuals.
He was also flattered by the support of the Kop and despite his poor English, which is improving on a daily basis, he understands the supporter's song about him where the crowd claps and then shouts his name:
To be linked with players like Dalglish and Fowler gives me pride and great satisfaction. They were some of the greatest players in the history of Liverpool Football Club. I have just arrived and still have a long way to go, but I am proud of the association.
It is safe to say that with the amount of goals he has already scored plus the overall contribution he has made to the side this season, the rumoured £26.5 million transfer fee the Reds paid for him already looks like a bargain.
English Carling Cup: Round 4
Liverpool 2 - 1 Cardiff
Anfield legend Robbie Fowler was welcomed back at his beloved Liverpool with a hero's welcome from the Kop as he returned with Cardiff City in the Carling Cup.
Unfortunately, there was no magical homecoming for 32-year-old Fowler, a firm fan favourite after blasting 183 goals in a tremendous 369-game Liverpool career that ended after an unexpected second spell at the club just last season.
Liverpool took the lead through a long-range goal from reserve midfielder Nabil El Zhar before Cardiff skipper Darren Purse equalised for the visitors in the 65th minute.
Level-terms were short lived, however, as talismanic Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard surged forward with a run and shot in typical style just a minute later to seal the win for the Reds.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez had intended on resting Gerrard for the fourth-round tie, but Sissoko - who had been ill ahead of Sunday's draw with Arsenal - had not recovered sufficiently to play against the Coca-Cola Championship side.
After the game, the gaffer walked onto the pitch to embrace Robbie Fowler while the Kop roared the name of a man who will be forever known as "God".
Liverpool have been rocked by the news that striker Fernando Torres and midfielder Xabi Alonso will be out for weeks with injuries sustained in the one-all draw against Arsenal on Sunday.
Torres has been ruled out of action for approximately three weeks with an adductor injury - a recurrence of an injury suffered while on international duty with Spain.
A Liverpool spokesman said: "A scan this morning has shown a tear to a different adductor muscle to his original injury and we expect Fernando to be out for about three weeks.
"As for Xabi Alonso, an x-ray showed a fracture to the fourth metatarsal in his left foot. Xabi will be seen by a consultant tomorrow after which we will have a much better idea of the timescales involved.
"With regards to Javier Mascherano, he had an x-ray which has showed no bone injury, but he will receive intensive treatment on extensive bruising in his foot."
This is a huge blow to Liverpool's title hopes and Champions League campaign. The Mighty Reds are hanging by a thread in Europe's premier club competition following a string of disappointing results that has left the club with just 1 point from three matches.
It has been predicted that Liverpool will need to win all their remaining games to stand a chance of making it through to the knock-out stages of the competition they last won in 2005.
Without record signing Fernando Torres and the influential Xabi Alonso, things just got a lot tougher for Rafa Benitez and his men.
Liverpool's Spanish striker struck his first hat-trick for The Reds since joining the prestigious English club in the off-season.
Against Reading in the third round of the Carling Cup, the £24million signing ripped the host's defence to shreds with a clinical second half hat-trick to send Liverpool into the fourth round of the competition.
Torres celebrates against Reading
'El Nino' had spent the two previous league games on the bench due to the club's rotation policy, but was clearly eager to impress manager Rafa Benitez and most importantly, to send out a timely reminder that the Reds needs his awesome firepower in the league to sustain a Premiership challenge.
Yossi Benayoun opened the scoring for the Mighty Reds with a superb solo effort in the first-half to take a slender lead going into the break.
Reading managed to equalise on the 64th minute through John Halls and soon after, the Fernando Torres show began.
Collecting a through ball from Leto, Torres slipped the ball beyond Federici and into the corner of the net for the first of his terrific treble. The second goal came in the 70th minute when the Spanish star converted a low cross from John Arne Riise.
And to seal the terrific treble, Torres was put clear by Gerrard and he kept his cool to round Federici and slot the ball into the waiting net.
Jamie Carragher poses (horribly) in the new European away kit
Here are the first snaps of what Kop fans across the globe predict will be the new European away kit for Liverpool in season 07/08.
This new black kit with white and red stripes will be worn by the mighty Reds on away games in the Champions League if the colours of the home team clashes with the traditional Liverpool red.
The first picture is of Liverpool defender and vice-captain Jamie Carragher sporting the new strip while the second picture gives the new black kit a lot of credibility as it appears alongside a logo-free away strip. My guess is this photo was taken by an Adidas insider.
All in all, a much better effort from Adidas this time around.
Liverpool vice-captain and defender Jamie Carragher is set to announce his retirement from international football with immediate effect.
The main reason for the the lion-hearted centre-back's decision is due to his status in the national team's pecking order where he has failed to cement a place in the first-team despite making his debut for the national side back in 1999.
Despite playing a starring role for Liverpool in the club's 2005 Champions League triumph and helping the club to its third Champions League final appearance in three years last season, the 29 year-old has continually been over-looked for a starting berth for England.
Having played second fiddle to the likes of Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry over the years, he has also been bumped down the pecking order by the likes of Jonathan Woodgate and young gun Ledley King in recent times.
The final straw came in the recent Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia when he was overlooked for a starting position at centreback despite an injury to Rio Ferdinand.
Instead, King was given the chance to partner Terry in the middle of the back four despite an injury-ravaged season.
"I thought I'd had a good season for Liverpool, especially helping Liverpool get to the Champions League final.
"Like any player I thought I deserved to play but not doing so made the situation crystal clear to me." he said.
Despite the loyal service he gave to his country including the high number of times he was asked to play out of position, his decision did not escape the wrath of Talksport radio presenter Adrian Durham who suggested he was a 'bottler'.
Incensed by the stupidity of Durham's remarks, Carragher telephoned the show to let rip at the moron: “Don’t ever call me a bottler on radio with thousands of people listening. I’ve had the stomach to fight for my place for the last eight years.
It’d be interesting to see if you’ve got any bottle and come down to Anfield or Melwood and say it to me and we’ll see what happens.
“I’ve never really played centre-half for England and, to be honest, I’ve never really played that well for England because I’ve played a lot of the time at full-back.
“At centre-half, I don’t think I’ve played as much as maybe I deserved. But that’s the manager’s choice.
“If Steve McClaren’s chosen people ahead of me then I don’t think anyone can really complain if I would rather concentrate and save myself for Liverpool games.
“He played Ledley King, who is a top player. But he’s been injured all season, so how would you feel in my situation?
“And when John Terry was out, Jonathan Woodgate played.
“I’m 29, I’ve been doing it for eight years and obviously I haven’t proved it enough, so it’s not going to change now, is it?
Needless to say, Durham was put in his place and quite rightly so.
Liverpool have signed Spain international striker Fernando Torres for a reported fee of around £21.5 - £26.5 million - beating the previous club record of £14 million for Frenchman Djribil Cisse.
The 23 year-old put pen to paper on a siz-year deal on a reported salary of £90,000 a week and will wear the famous number 9 jersey previously worn by Anfield legends Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler.
The Spaniard leaves La Liga side Atletico Madrid with a record of 82 goals in 214 league games and will be given the responsibility of leading the rather goal-shy Liverpool attack in their quest for a first Premiership title in 17 years.
In his first interview with the club, the Spanish ace expressed his delight in joining the Mighty Reds.
"I am very, very happy. This was the biggest decision of my footballing life but I've come to a winning club. This is a club of champions - one of the biggest there is. I now want to play my part in that and be a champion too and help the club progress."
While I have previously expressed my reservations about this signing due to the lack of success Spanish strikers have had in the English Premier League, this is indeed a significant moment for the English giants.
The enormity of the transfer fee shows that Liverpool are finally able to compete with the 'big boys' in spending big on a single player and it also shows that the new American owners are willing to offer funds for Benitez to build a championship winning team.
The downside in all of this is that the manager is fast running out of excuses to deliver a much coveted Premiership trophy for the five-time European champions.
Will Torres become the next Anfield legend to grace the famous number 9 shirt?
Liverpool have unveiled their new away kit for the upcoming season (07/08).
In a change from the shocking (for me personally anyway) yellow away kit, Liverpool and kit makers Adidas have come up with a more traditional white, red and black number which is great deal more pleasing on the eye than the previous away kit.
Gerrard, Reina and Kuyt poses in the new away kit
The kit will be available in stores for Kop fans after June 21. As a special pre-order offer, orders made online before midnight on June 15 will receive a special free supporter's pack (while stocks last).
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has confirmed on the official Liverpool website that he believes Harry Kewell may be able to take part in the Champions League final in Athens later this month.
The Socceroos winger has been out since last summer's World Cup but made his first-team comeback as a substitute against Fulham on Saturday.
Although the Aussie has just one more fixture to play to get himself fully match fit before the final on May 23, Benitez insists there is a chance the injury-jinxed star could play a part.
Kewell: "I'm finally injury-free!!!"
"It was positive to see Harry again. Maybe he will have a chance for the final. We will have time for testing him.
"We need to test him because right now you could say physically that he is fit but really you need to play, you need to tackle, and to sprint." said Benitez.
Fellow colleague Steve Finnan believes the return of Kewell has given the Reds a timely boost ahead of their eagerly awaited clash with AC Milan, in a repeat of the epic 2005 final.
"I don't know whether Harry expected to play again this season but it is good that he came on and managed to get some minutes," he said. "It's great because he's been out a long time, so it is like having a new player. He might play his part in the final.
Socceroo Harry Kewell has ended his injury nightmare with an impressive comeback for the Liverpool Reserve team against Everton.
The Reds number seven hadn't kicked a ball since scoring for Australia against Croatia in the World Cup and has been on the sidelines all season.
He came on after 55 minutes and played on the left wing and made an instant impact when he beat two defenders down the left and set up Craig Lindfield for a tap-in from close range.
Kewell's return from injury is a huge boost for the player and club with the Champion's League final later this month.
Should Kewell prove his fitness, I would expect to see him at least on the bench for the game against AC Milan.
Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett have clinched an historic £470million takeover of Liverpool FC.
Liverpool FC announced on Tuesday that the Board have agreed the terms of an offer for the Club from Mr George Gillett and Mr Tom Hicks and the Board are unanimously recommending that the Club’s shareholders accept this offer.
The American duo are serious sports fans and each owns a NHL ice hockey team.
Their offer which sealed the deal reported to be worth £5,000 per share, valuing the club at £174.1m, and along with the club's £44.8m debt it values the club at £218.9m.
Add to that the guaranteed investment of over £200m in the club by the pair for both team strengthening and the building of the club's new stadium in Stanley Park, sees the deal easily surpass the £400million mark.
Perhaps more importantly is that the new owners purchased the club with no debt, unlike fellow Americans the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United.
Co-owner George Gillett said: "This is truly the largest sport in the world, the most important sport in the world, and this is the most important club in the most important sport in the world and what a privilege we have to be associated with it."
Gillett also insisted that, though he and Hicks would be aiming for the club to return a profit, that was way down the list of priorities.
He said: 'If you put down the objectives, money would be no way near the top of the list, it would have winning, passion, heritage and legacy above that."
So, what does this mean for Liverpool FC as a football club?
There will finally be enough funds in the transfer kitty for Liverpool to bid for world class players and challenge other financial powerhouse clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United.
The building work on a new stadium will be given the green light and will provide the club with world class facilities.
Considering how many times take-over bids of Liverpool had fallen through in the past, I was taken by surprise at how quick things developed.
To read more about this historic take-over, visit the following links:
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