Managers wait for transfer window to open

Managers Rafael Benitez and Harry Redknapp promised transfer window activity after Liverpool struggled to a scrappy 1-0 win over Southampton.

The Reds chief needs new men to get the Anfield club into the top four, while Saints boss Redknapp needs players to avoid the drop.

Redknapp revealed striker James Beattie wants to leave the club, and the £6m (€8.5m)-rated player can expect to be in either Aston Villa, Newcastle or Everton’s colours as early as next week.

The former Portsmouth boss wants early action in the market to give him financial muscle to bring in three or four new men, while Benitez is more cagey about his intentions.

Benitez said: “Maybe after January 3 and the end of the holiday programme the players will have done well and we may not need to buy and I believe it is important that we find the right players now rather than search the world for players.

“But we will find the players we need. I will not say who, but we will look carefully in the transfer window.”

Fernando Morientes is reported to want a move to Liverpool from Real Madrid, while Valencia’s Pablo Aimar has also claimed he would like to rejoin his former boss at Anfield.

While Europe’s top talent could come to Anfield, Redknapp is worried he will not find the quality needed to make a significant change in Southampton’s season.

He added: “I need to get the business done very early, I can’t leave it until the middle of January because it is not going to be easy because I have not got too many targets.

“It is not easy to find players and for clubs to let them go. Who is going to release players at this stage of the season? Big clubs like Chelsea are not going to release players at this stage. It is not easy to find people who can play in the Premier League at this stage of the season.”

Beattie was left out of the team that lost at Anfield and appears to have played his last game for the club.

“I left him out obviously because I did not want to run the risk of him getting injured and when I had my chat with him I just felt that if he is going to to go it needs to be done by January 1,” Redknapp added.

“It was not worth the risk. We need to do some business and get some money in as soon as we can so that we can find a couple of players.

“Three clubs have rung us and made offers. I am sure that my chairman will now deal with that. We will accept offers and he will be able to talk to who he wants.”

Redknapp’s side battled hard at Anfield, with their new manager adding: “They did okay. I felt we were always in the game and with a patched-up team we did well. But we are in a relegation battle, there is no doubt about that.”

Benitez admitted that his side were nervous after Florent Sinama Pongolle’s first-half opener.

He added: “It is difficult to play two games in three days and as the game went on the players became more and more nervous.

“They were thinking about what happened here recently against Portsmouth when we were winning 1-0 until injury time and then conceded an equaliser. As the game wore on and we did not get the second goal you could see that they became nervous and a little afraid.

“But in the end we have taken the three points and this is our third win in succession so that will help us build our confidence.”