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Barcelona must increase offer for Javier Mascherano or he'll stay unhappy, warns Roy Hodgson
24 Aug 2010Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has told Barcelona to either make a proper bid for midfielder Javier Mascherano or forget about signing him altogether.
The Catalans have reportedly made a £12million offer for the Argentina captain which may also include Alexander Hleb as a makeweight.
However, that falls way short of Liverpool's estimation of what the player, signed from West Ham for £18million three-and-a-half years ago, is worth.
Hodgson was forced to drop the 26-year-old for last night's 3-0 defeat at Manchester City after admitting the player had been affected by the interest from Spain.
But the 62-year-old insists Mascherano will not be allowed to leave for anything other than his full market value, which the Anfield club believe is nearer £24million.
"Unfortunately the fee the club thinks is the correct fee and the fee we are being offered are very far apart," said the Englishman.
"Unless that can be resolved he might be unhappy for a long time to come.
"But I have no wish to create headlines over the Mascherano situation.
"The discussions between Barcelona and the club are being held at high club level and as a result I don't really want to get involved in it.
"It is not the first time these things have happened and there are quite a lot of clubs suffering at the moment by their players being courted by others and their players being unhappy at being required to fulfil their contracts.
"It has happened to us now. Hopefully matters will get resolved, certainly before the end of the transfer window and I'll have a chance to pick him again, but last night would not have been a good time to select him.
"It will happen, I guess, a day when the offer for him matches our valuation, but until that day he stays with us."
Hodgson was more concerned about the standard of his side's defending in the defeat to City, which leaves them with one point from their first two matches.
Gareth Barry opened the scoring in the first half, Carlos Tevez got the faintest of touches on Micah Richards' header seven minutes after the interval before the Argentinian converted a penalty.
"I didn't think we were under the cosh to the extent 3-0 might suggest and I think we might consider ourselves unlucky with that wonderful double save by Joe Hart (to deny David Ngog and Fernando Torres)," said the Liverpool manager.
"But we defended poorly for the goals and they took their chances well and I thought they played solidly and strongly throughout.
"They took charge of the game and we were always fighting to get back into it.
"You just have to accept we were unable to produce the level of performance necessary to get a good result."
Reader views (5)
Let's be honest an offer from Hartlepool Utd for any player at Anfield at the moment would 'turn their heads'. LFC are in just as sorry a mess as last season and Uncle Woy has got his work cut out.
Another bid from the Champions for Torres, before the month's out, won't help the cause much either. Didn't look happy getting hooked-off last night, did the surly Spanish striker ? Not a happy matador, methinks.
- Charlie, Nr. Crackpot, North Yorkshire, 24/08/2010 12:34
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Players such as Mascherano & clubs such as Barca are an absolute discrace. It is time the football authorities imposed strong sanctions against players & clubs who misbehave in this manner.
- Robbie Pool, Liverton, 24/08/2010 11:25
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one moment he is being touted as england manager, the next he is not up to a top managers job in the prem!
Maybe people would rather stick with capello after all!
- North London, Berkshire, 24/08/2010 10:41
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Hogson has managed quite a few clubs and national teams but has only enjoyed limited success. He seems like a sweet guy but I'm at a loss to understand why the media continually spin him as a good manager. He's ok, adequate, mediocre even. I'd like him to do well but his record is really not that good.
It is easier to not fail at a small club than to succeed at a big one.
- gaz, london, 24/08/2010 10:29
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Is it only me that think Roy appeared in well over his head last night?? He looked completely lost at times and despite it being clear to everyone early in the first half that the system we were using was totally inadequate nothing was changed until late in the 2nd half and that was only to replace two players like for like...
City had total control of the game all over the park. Their midfield was stopping us advancing much out of our own half whilst Adam Johnson was tearing our defence to shreds over and over again.
All last season people critisized Rafa's stubborness to make changes but after last nights performance I am left fearing that we may have jumped from the pan into the fire. With Rafa he often made strange changes but they often did the job...last night (and against Arsenal) all Roy did was swap like for like. If it wasnt working for Torres and Jovo what made him think Babel and Pacheco would have more chance???
- Dave, Liverpool, 24/08/2010 09:44
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