Harry Kewell heading for Liverpool exit

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

Harry Kewell heading for Liverpool exitMar 13 2008

 

by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo

 

 

HARRY KEWELL’S Liverpool career appears to be drawing to a close after he told Rafa Benitez he wants to be allowed to travel to a training camp with a young Australia side rather than work on his fitness at Melwood.

 

Kewell is keen to join up with an Australia squad featuring just four senior players next week while his Liverpool team-mates are preparing for the visit of Manchester United in the Premier League.

 

Should Benitez relieve Kewell of his Melwood duties it will be the clearest indication yet that the injury-plagued winger has no future at the club.

 

Kewell was not in the Liverpool squad which travelled to Milan for Tuesday’s Champions League tie and he has not played for the first team since a fleeting substitute appearance against Barnsley last month.

 

With his current contract due to expire this summer and with no suggestions that he will be offered a new deal, all indications are that he is now heading towards the Anfield exit door.

 

The Aussie training camp takes place in Singapore and national team coach Pim Verbeek had resigned himself to working with just a group of young players while the majority of his senior stars remained with their respective clubs.

 

But with a World Cup qualifier against China in Kunming looming on March 26 – just days before the crucial Merseyside derby – Kewell has told Verbeek he wants to take part in the training camp in a bid to build up his fitness and to be ready for international duty.

 

The decision about whether he is allowed to travel to the Far East now rests with Benitez and should he give Kewell the go-ahead, it will be the clearest signal yet that his five-year stint with the Reds will not be extended.

 

 

Meanwhile, George Gillett has spoken publicly for the first time about his well documented fall-out with co-owner Tom Hicks.

 

During an address to a sports conference in California, Gillett was asked whether he would remain a co-owner of Liverpool.

 

He responded: “I would say, choose your partners wisely,” before adding, “he (Hicks) is a great guy – but he has just got a different perspective on the media.

 

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Not really surprising.

Edited March 13, 2008 by GrandpaSimpson

[Gomez]

I always thought the only way Kewell would have got another contract would have been if he had retired from international football as he clearly can't cope with both.

 

Seems he is going the other way.

[Eiler99]

I always thought the only way Kewell would have got another contract would have been if he had retired from international football as he clearly can't cope with both.

 

Seems he is going the other way.

 

Retiring from club football?

 

About time.

[Bootle Buck]

I thought Kewell was going to be a great signing for us. A boyhood Red(or so he says) who came for a great price. Five years later he has taken in excess of 10 million in wages and spent half his time injured and the other half underacheiving. He still managed to get fit for several finals and a WC finals despite the fact he was injured for most of those seasons. Personally I think he has been a huge let down who has milked the club dry.

[mally]

Yes! Get in! This has made my day

[theredfella]

Great news, get that dingo shagging ponce off the wage bill pronto.

[Guest Scot]

year overdue, really

[Red]

I thought Kewell was going to be a great signing for us. A boyhood Red(or so he says) who came for a great price. Five years later he has taken in excess of 10 million in wages and spent half his time injured and the other half underacheiving. He still managed to get fit for several finals and a WC finals despite the fact he was injured for most of those seasons. Personally I think he has been a huge let down who has milked the club dry.

 

 

Surely his wages are the club's fault for agreeing to them in the first place, you can't blame him for that.

 

He has underachieved and it's disappointing, but only because he was injured for the best part of it.

 

No one can deny his last few injuries have finally taken their toll and it's time for him to move on, but I'd still like to remember the great games he played for us and some of the cracking goals he scored when he was fit.

[Bailo]

year overdue, really

If we'd shifted him on a year ago, we would have ended up paying most (all?) of his wages at some lower Prem/Championship club anyway.

[theredfella]

Surely his wages are the club's fault for agreeing to them in the first place, you can't blame him for that.

 

He has underachieved and it's disappointing, but only because he was injured for the best part of it.

 

No one can deny his last few injuries have finally taken their toll and it's time for him to move on, but I'd still like to remember the great games he played for us and some of the cracking goals he scored when he was fit.

 

That won't be too hard, you'll only need one hand to count them on.

[Zoob]

Surely his wages are the club's fault for agreeing to them in the first place, you can't blame him for that.

 

He has underachieved and it's disappointing, but only because he was injured for the best part of it.

 

No one can deny his last few injuries have finally taken their toll and it's time for him to move on, but I'd still like to remember the great games he played for us and some of the cracking goals he scored when he was fit.

 

That's the way I see it too. He managed all of about 1 season of being fit, and in that time he did very well - was a very important player in terms of goals, assists and the sort of game intelligence that Rafa likes.

 

A real shame that his body no longer seems willing and able to do the sort of things he used to do (mainly beat a player with his pace), because a fit Kewell of 5 or so years ago could be absolutely devastating in the 4-2-3-1 line up we've been playing recently.

[Guest Scot]

If we'd shifted him on a year ago, we would have ended up paying most (all?) of his wages at some lower Prem/Championship club anyway.

 

Sunk cost...I'd have got him out

[honourablegeorge]

If we'd shifted him on a year ago, we would have ended up paying most (all?) of his wages at some lower Prem/Championship club anyway.

 

 

We'd have saved a fortune on appearance money though.

 

Oh.

[Will]

Sunk cost...I'd have got him out

Why?

[Bailo]

Sunk cost...I'd have got him out

There are the physio bills to consider mind.

[Ronnie Whelan]

There is still hope...

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

the fact that he was playing at the start of the season & doesn't get a sniff now, seems to say it all

[Gravy]

Damn shame - a fit and on form Kewell would be absolutely perfect for the system Rafa is playing now. Him on the left, Babel on the right - would have been great. He just hasn't got it anymore though.

[D.Boon]

Pennant next please!!

[Mikael Akerfeldt]

What's happened this season though? He came back looking bright, played a few games (admittedly not setting the world on fire) but he was no worse than a few others during that bad run just after xmas. Did he get injured again or was he just dropped?

[Walrus]

bye

[Ben 23]

Pennant next please!!

[D.Boon]

 

[Flasher]

Kewell has been injured, a lot, but it's not his fault.

 

Personally, I think it's a real shame that his Liverpool career has been destroyed by injuries.

 

Feel for the lad.

[Tosh]

Kewell has been injured, a lot, but it's not his fault.

 

Personally, I think it's a real shame that his Liverpool career has been destroyed by injuries.

 

Feel for the lad.

I am with you, and we all feel for him, see it as a shame that his best years were already behind him when he joined us. But then why not put something back and make himself available rather than ask to swan off to a training camp?