Rafa drops major Barry hint
09 Aug 2008 - 11:00:56
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has dropped a major hint that he is still hopeful of signing England midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa.
Press reports this weekend suggest that any deal for the 28-year-old is unlikely, but Benitez remained upbeat about the prospects of landing Barry after a 1-0 friendly win over Lazio.
The Spaniard said: "This deal is not about money. We have a good player in Xabi Alonso and we have another good player coming in soon.
"We can improve the squad, so we will try to do that. We will bring in one more player if we can. I do not know when.
"Clearly we have problems on the left. Harry Kewell has gone, Fabio Aurelio is injured and Sebastian Leto cannot get a work permit.
"Ryan Babel is away at the Olympic Games. Maybe he can come back and fill that role, but I know we can improve in this area.
"Who comes in? It could be another left-sided player, rather than a central midfielder.
"Maybe he can play in three different positions, that is a positive thing. I am talking about one player but I won't say the name."