Football news

Rafael Benitez believes the decision to put Liverpool up for sale is a positive step to help restore the club to its' former glory.

Reds boss Benitez woke on his 50th birthday on Friday to hear confirmation that Liverpool's co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett were ready to sell up after a controversial three-year reign which has left the Anfield outfit 237 million pounds in debt.

"It seems the club is moving forward and so that is positive," Benitez said. "It is important for the club to move forward. It could be good news.

"It is positive the new chairman said he wants me to stay but I've not spoken to him yet so in our first meeting we can talk about everything.

"I am sure we will have a very good conversation about the present and the future."

Mourinho fits Real - Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo would welcome Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and believes his Portuguese compatriot could reinvigorate the club.

Although Mourinho is currently Inter manager, he has been linked with a number of clubs across Europe, Real Madrid among them.

The former Chelsea manager has ruffled feathers in Italy and there is speculation he could move on from the San Siro as early as this summer.

"He is a special coach. He has shown that he is one of the best in the world so maybe the people don't like him because he is top, he is a special person.

"I know him very well. I like him a lot - I know his character, he is a winning guy."

New Zealand should join AFC - Nelsen

New Zealand should follow Australia and leave Oceania for the Asian Football Confederation to give them more competitive matches and improve their standard, All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen said.

"I think New Zealand should go the whole hog and apply to follow Australia into the Asian confederation," defender Nelsen said.

"In the long run, it will be best for everyone but New Zealand would benefit most from full membership of Asia. Just think if we played South Korea or Japan in Auckland.

"I think there would be a fantastic crowd there and I bet we'd get a full house if we played Australia in Wellington."

Redknapp hails goalkeeper Gomes

Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes is good enough to make Brazil's World Cup squad, according to his club manager Harry Redknapp.

"Gomes has proved himself to be a great goalkeeper. Hopefully he will go to the World Cup and be part of the Brazil squad," Redknapp told a news conference on Friday.

Gomes made three stunning saves in the last 10 minutes of Tottenham's 2-1 victory over rivals Arsenal on Wednesday to cement his place in the hearts of the fans.

"It was a great moment for me because I helped the team win the points but I feel the same way as always, I just want to do my best for the team," said Gomes.

Donovan pleased with Everton spell

United States international Landon Donovan said his recent 10-week loan spell with Everton proved he was good enough to mix it with the best.

"Now I know I can play well against anybody," the Los Angeles Galaxy forward told Reuters. "That's a big boost.

"It was an incredible experience. It helps my confidence, absolutely."

A goal-scoring threat for the Americans for several years, Donovan played a different role at Everton.

"I was relied on to give the team energy, to work hard, defend well and be tactically smart," said the 28-year-old after scoring two goals in 13 games for the English club to ignite an upturn in their fortunes. "I think I did all those things," added Donovan.

Wenger keen to keep Campbell

Arsene Wenger insists he will have no hesitation using the £30million transfer kitty expected to be available to strengthen his Arsenal side in the summer, but Sol Campbell might yet save him a small fortune.

The Arsenal boss will sit down with his 35-year-old centre-back in three weeks' time to see if they can squeeze another season out of him.

With William Gallas out of contract in the summer and Johan Djourou recovering from serious knee surgery, reinforcing the Gunners defence is a priority.

"Gallas can sign where he wants. We are trying to re-sign him but he is legally free to sign where he wants so I don't know where he will go," Wenger said.

"I will have to sit down with Sol Campbell because if he is on board, if he is focused and motivated, he is an important player here."

Munoz agrees Fiorentina move

Fiorentina have reportedly secured the services of Boca Juniors defender Ezequiel Munoz.

The Serie A club had already been linked with this player over a year ago and a move seemed imminent in January. An agreement was not reached but negotiations continued and reports said that an agreement has been reached.

According to Radio Toscana, director Pantaleo Corvino met with agent David Simonian yesterday and discussed terms.

Fiorentina are set to pay €8m to Boca Juniors to sign Munoz in the summer. The 19-year-old stands at 6'1" and plays as a centre-back.