Roy Hodgson is doing all he can to remain Liverpool manager. Despite increasingly loud rumors regarding his future at Anfield, Hodgson has declared his desire to stamp his philosophy on the club, ESPN.com reports.
“Being honest about it, I am hoping that one day I will get a chance to stamp a little more of my authority and philosophy on the team by choosing some more of the players,” Hodgson said, according to ESPN.com.
“It is not often mentioned, but I have not been that active in the transfer market since I have been here. The players who are playing are the ones you have watched playing for the past few years.
“They have done exceptionally well for me in accepting a new manager, with a new style and a new training method, and giving the performances they have given, albeit that unfortunately we have been guilty of inconsistency.”
Hodgson, though, has perhaps been more active in the transfer market than he has let on, but his moves have yet to prove successful. Since he took over the club in 2010, he has acquired Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic, Christian Poulsen, Raul Meireles and Paul Konchesky — none of whom have fully settled at Anfield.
The manager also asserted that the team’s failures can be attributed to Steven Gerrard‘s and Fernando Torres‘ injuries — not the form of his acquisitions.
“If we are going to win games, it is the Torreses, the Gerrards, the [Pepe] Reinas, that are going to be the ones to get us up the table and lift us above the rest,” Hodgson said.
“Fernando had a very serious knee injury, which — touch wood — seems to be in the past, but when you have had an injury, there is always the little risk of recurrence, and Steven, of course, is susceptible to muscle injury if he plays too many games one after the other.”
Meanwhile, former Hoffenheim manager Ralf Rangnick has declared his interest in replacing Hodgson at Anfield, according to the BBC.
“He would be interested in Liverpool, and it’s possible he could manage there,” claimed Rangnick’s agent, Oliver Mintzlaff.
Rangnick, who left Hoffenheim on Jan. 1 after a dispute with ownership, has built a record of exceptional success in the Bundesliga, twice bringing teams from the third division to the top tier in only two years. Still, while he wants to make the move to England, nothing has yet materialized.
“There are no negotiations with them, not even a meeting yet, but he is a big fan of the Premier League. … If he had to make a decision between the Premier League and staying in the Bundesliga, he would go to England,” Mintzlaff said.
Liverpool also has recently been linked to Borussia Dortmund Jurgen Klopp, though the man who has led his squad to the top of the table in 2010 isn’t commeting.
“There has been no approach and there’s no point talking about it,” Klopp said.
Others linked to the managerial position at Anfield include Martin O’Neil, Martin Jol, and Didier Deschamps.
