Comolli to lead the way in bid to refresh staff at Anfield

• zocoss

  23 Apr 11, 10:20

  Liverpool's mammoth £25m-a-year Warrior kit deal rewrites the record books
  

   

  

  Kop that! Liverpool's new shirt deal dwarfs that of Manchester United

   

   

   

  Liverpool have wrapped up a £25m-a-year kit deal with Boston-based company Warrior Sports — a record for English football and twice what adidas currently pay.

  Warrior, a subsidiary of New Balance, will take over from adidas ahead of the 2012-13 season and it is expected to be a long-term relationship which puts Nike’s deal with Manchester United - worth £23.5m - into the shade. 

  The news comes as a huge blow to their current kit manufacturers as Liverpool's shirt is the fourth-highest selling replica in the world.

   

  Around 900,000 shirts are sold annually, a number only beaten by North West rivals United, plus Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

  Liverpool owner John W Henry had said that the club would only spend money that it generates and with Champions League football at least another season away, the promise of funds will boost the club's muscle in the transfer market.

  New Balance, a brand best-known for its running shoes, has been increasing its footprint in other sports for some time now and recently announced a deal with the Boston Red Sox to manufacture their kits.

  Warrior are a big player in the United States where they have traditionally been associated with ice hockey and lacrosse.

   

  

  Sign of things to come: The Warrior logo which will adorn the Liverpool kits

   

   

  The company, set up by Dave Morrow - who also invented the first ever titanium lacrosse stick - was bought out by New Balance in 2004.

  The brand was transformed from a niche-market player to a huge brand big enough to sign a multi-year deal with the baseball giants Red Sox. 

  As part of the company's expansion, they have increased the number of player sponsorships and worldwide sales totalling £1billion has facilitated the move into football.

  United's deal with Nike runs until 2015 and the club will be expecting to to negotiate a deal that places them in a higher price bracket to Liverpool.

• zocoss

  24 Apr 11, 10:51

  Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli to lead the way in bid to refresh the playing staff at Anfield

  Liverpool are planning a radical overhaul of their squad this summer with a source at the club revealing that they are planning “up to 22 deals” in and out of the club.

  

  Hot prospect: youngsters such as John Flanagan have delivered a series of flawless displays after injuries to senior players thrust them into the first XI at Anfield 

   

   

    

  Director of Football Damien Comolli has been working since his appointment to identify priority targets and will receive support from the club’s owners, the Fenway Sports Group, this summer as the club seek to build a squad capable of getting back into the Champions League.

  Kenny Dalglish, who is hoping to remain as manager, has spoken of the need to complement the club’s emerging talent with investment and it is understood that Comolli and his scouting team located two or three targets for each position they want to strengthen.

  Most of these are aged between 19 and 24 as the club wants to invest in players whose talent can be developed and whose value will increase.

  Rennes winger Sylvain Marveaux is expected to be the first signing when the window opens on June 1.

  The club are being described as “a long way down the road” to securing the Bosman free transfer of the former France Under-21 international.

  Liverpool are looking at further reinforcements in the wide areas, another striker, a left-back and cover at centre back. If enough players can be sold, there could be as many as 11 signings.

  As they showed in January, FSG are prepared to reinvest money received in fees into the squad – most of the cash received for Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel was put into signing Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez for £58 million.

  Having a high turnover will also allow the club to address the issue of the excessive contracts that were handed out under the previous regime.

  With the club’s commercial department landing some impressive deals – a record £25 million-a-year kit deal with Warrior follows a lucrative contract with Standard Chartered as shorts sponsor – and the club freed of servicing the debts that impeded them under Hicks and Gillett, Liverpool will finally be able to compete in the market.

  The recent emergence of academy players Jay Spearing, Jack Robinson and John Flanagan means Liverpool can sell their fringe players with the confidence that they will not be left short next season, especially as Raheem Sterling and Conor Coady are also expected to be ready next term.

  There will be great emphasis on trying to shift as many of the superfluous players as possible.

  The club are working on trying to set up deals for the players out on loan – Paul Konchesky, Alberto Aquilani, Philipp Degen, Nabir El Zhar and Emiliano Insua – while there has also been interest in David Ngog, Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Milan Jovanovic, all of whom are for sale.