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28 March 2024

Who do Liverpool fans want: Capello or Martinez?

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By Staff

Liverpool are in a dilemma as they look for a successor to Kenny Dalglish although former England manager Fabio Capello has been linked with Anfield.

The Italian is keen for a return to the Premier League but has joined Barcelona's Pep Guardiola in publicly rejecting the Chelsea job.


"I will not go to Chelsea," said Capello, after he was filmed greeting Terry on the pitch before Chelsea’s Champions League final in Munich against Bayern.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich may yet be able to change Capello’s mind.

However, the 65-year-old former AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid boss is showing interest in the vacancy at Liverpool instead, according to the Daily Mail.

Liverpool now look like a  viable option for Capello, who was on the club’s long list of candidates to replace Dalglish though he is likely to demand substantial transfer funds.

Meanwhile, the Liverpool fans are up in arms against the club's decision-makers for considering Wigan's Roberto Martinez as a managerial successor to Kop legend Dalglish.

Supporters abused managing director Ian Ayre at a race meeting at Aintree on Friday night and chanted the name of previous Anfield boss Rafael Benitez, according to another report.

Anfield owner John W Henry are in favour of appointing a young up-and-coming manager to replace the Scot, fired on Wednesday despite reaching two cup finals this season.

Henry does not want a manager who is almost a cult figure among the fans, as Dalglish was.

That means Martinez, Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers, former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas and Dane Michael Laudrup could be in, but Benitez and Capello are out.

Spaniard Martinez has still not spoken formally to Liverpool but is believed to be keen on starting a new challenge after saving Wigan from relegation with seven wins in the club's last nine games.

But the Reds fans are unlikely to endear themselves to 38-year-old Martinez who could face the same fate as Roy Hodgson.

Liverpool fans never accepted Hodgson and his reign was the shortest in the club's history, lasting just 31 games.

With Swansea boss Brendan Rogers not willing to even talk to Liverpool, manager of Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund Jurgen Klopp unavailable and Capello considered somewhat old-fashioned by the management, their failure to act swiftly to find a successor to sacked Dalglish could open themselves to ridicule.

With Henry and chairman Tom Werner in America, under-fire Ayre has had to bear the brunt of the fans' frustrations.

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