Roy Hodgson says he did not come to Anfield to lose players like Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres
Jul 1 2010 EXCLUSIVE By Dominic King
ROY HODGSON has made it emphatically clear he does not intend to start his first season at Anfield without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.
The new Liverpool boss is well aware that speculation has been rife all summer about the futures of the Reds' star players.
Real Madrid and Manchester City have the money to lure Gerrard and Torres away from Merseyside but Hodgson has stressed that he will not entertain the idea of cashing in on them.
He is determined to build a successful team and, to do that, Hodgson wants Gerrard and Torres to lead the charge.
Surveying the squad that he has inherited at the Reds' training complex at Melwood in Liverpool's West Derby district this morning, Hodgson said: "There are some wonderful players here and that is nice to know.
"It's nice at this stage of my career to be going back to working with household names who can give me something. It's been nice to meet the players on the first day of training.
"My next task is to meet the important players, either before they go on holiday or catch them on holiday. I want to make contact and tell them how pleased I am to be here. Listen, there is no way I want to lose any of my important players.
"The club doesn't want to lose any of its important players either. The truth is there are predators out there. If you are Arsenal, you have got some trying to steal Cecs Fabregas. If you are Manchester United, you have got some trying to steal Wayne Rooney.
"Clubs will always want to buy good players. But I am desperately hoping that our big players want to stay here and honour their contracts.
"I did not come here to lose those players. I came here to work with them."
With issues surrounding warring owners and mounting debt, it would be wrong to suggest that Hodgson has walked into a club that is on an even keel.
However, the prospects of leading Liverpool's attempts to recover were impossible for the 62-year-old to ignore.
"Turmoil is a word that is used for lots of football clubs today. We are in a deep, economic crisis and all clubs seem to be affected by it. But Liverpool Football Club will always survive that.
"We have got to try and get back to the glory days as quick as possible and those of us who are lucky enough to work here will be trying to do that.
"I had two-and-a-half wonderful years at Fulham. It wasn't easy to leave.
"The chairman was adamant that I shouldn't but he doesn't understand the importance of Liverpool Football Club.
"There were very few jobs I would have torn myself away from Fulham for - but when you get offered the chance to manage Liverpool., you don't turn it down."