Source: Team_Talk
Hodgson in dark over transfer budget
iverpool boss Roy Hodgson is hoping for a January transfer budget but unsure how much to expect given the club's financial situation.[LNB] Hodgson was roughly £8million in profit over the summer thanks mainly to the £20million deal which took Javier Mascherano to Barcelona.[LNB]The 62-year-old had hoped to use the surplus to bring in a striker but there was not the time with Mascherano's move to the Spanish champions not completed until a couple of days before the deadline.[LNB]With the club still up for sale and uncertainty surrounding what might happen early next month when owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have to refinance or repay their £237million-plus loan to the Royal Bank of Scotland, Hodgson does not know whether that money will still be available in four months' time.[LNB]Asked whether he would still be able to spend the money which he did not use in August the Liverpool manager said: "I would hope so but I don't know. I don't know what funds I have for January.[LNB]"I don't know quite how much [was available in August] - but with the limited amount of time at our disposal and the very limited market it wouldn't have been possible for me to find the striker I wanted anyway.[LNB]"The situation with the club's funds is extremely complicated and it would be very foolish for me to start making statements on that front.[LNB]"Perhaps by January the club will be under new ownership and I'll have to see what the new ownership has in mind."[LNB]Hodgson knows the squad still needs improvement but he has had to tailor his transfer dealings to solve specific problems rather than being able to strengthen across the board.[LNB]By bringing in the likes of Joe Cole, Paul Konchesky and Danny Wilson he boosted the English/home-grown quota, while Denmark international Christian Poulsen and Portugal's Raul Meireles were brought in to fill holes left by Mascherano and Alberto Aquilani, now on loan at Juventus.[LNB]All the new arrivals are set to be included in the squad for tomorrow's match at Birmingham.[LNB]"[Buying] home-grown is nice and we have to think more about it because of the new rules that came into effect on September 2 with the 25-man squad," said the Reds boss.[LNB]"If you want to get the full benefit of your squad you have to fill your quota of eight, if you're talking about seniors.[LNB]"What is important when you are looking to bring in very high-profile players is realising there is a definite place for them in the team and they are not going to clash with another high-profile player.[LNB]"Otherwise you find yourself having two wonderful players but you can't find a place for them in your team because they clash.[LNB]"With Joe we knew what we were getting and where we were going to use him and we knew exactly the jobs Poulsen and Konchesky were going to fill.[LNB]"The same goes for Meireles who, alongside Poulsen, is one of the midfield players replacing Mascherano and Aquilani.[LNB]"Cole, Poulsen, Meireles and Konchesky: each of those players fit very much into the profile of what we were looking for at the club.[LNB]"We thought we needed that type of player in that position and I am very pleased to welcome those.[LNB]"In our ideal world we may have had one or two other positions pencilled in to improve our squad but I am still pretty satisfied with the ones we got."[LNB]At St Andrew's on Sunday, Liverpool will seek to end a run of just one win in their last 10 Premier League away matches.[LNB]The two clubs have drawn their last six encounters and Hodgson is expecting another tough test from Alex McLeish's side.[LNB]"Birmingham will be similarly strong as last season, when they showed what a good team they were and how dangerous they were and their home form was very good.[LNB]"We know Sunday's match will provide a very stern test."
