Dalglish rules out Liverpool transfers

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has attempted to put a lid on speculation of Carlos Tevez arriving at Anfield and Andy Carroll's imminent departure by insisting that there will be no transfers in or out the club before the window closes.

Despite the Reds being linked with a host of players over the last few weeks the Scot said there was no business being done.

Liverpool's £35 million record signing has become the focal point of much speculation after enduring a difficult first year at Anfield following his move from Newcastle.

Having been linked with a highly unlikely cut-price return to the Magpies, reports emerged at the weekend which claimed Manchester City had turned down an offer to swap Carroll for their wantaway striker Carlos Tevez.

Carroll for his part stressed he has not been turned by speculation about moves elsewhere.

"Not at all," he said when asked whether there was any point in the last year when he had regretted his move to Merseyside.
 
"The club has been great with me and everyone outside the club has been fantastic and I am enjoying it down here. Everyone has backed me and helped us along the way. I have signed a contract here and this is the team I am playing for."
 
However, injury affected the latter half of last season and he has not yet found his form - or a regular starting spot - with just six goals in 36 appearances for his new club.
 
But he played a key part for both goals in Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round win over arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield.
 
For Daniel Agger's header he was the main distraction for goalkeeper David de Gea, who failed to get anywhere near Steven Gerrard's corner,
while his flick-on sent Dirk Kuyt through for the winner with two minutes remaining after Park Ji-Sung had equalised shortly before half-time.
 
"I thought I did well and everyone else did but I've got to keep working on it and it will come," admitted Carroll. "I am just getting into my stride now. Everyone is getting used to how I play and I am getting used to everyone else. Everyone is helping us as much as they can and I just need to get going.
 
"I thought everyone played well and we deserved the win really. Everyone put a shift in and got what we wanted out of it at the end. Obviously it was nice to get an assist but it doesn't really matter who sets them up or scores them really, as long as we get through like we did with everyone playing well.
 
"Manchester United came here and all the lads were buzzing for this game and it showed as everyone was up for it and we got the result we wanted."

Carroll has been staunchly defended by Dalglish ever since his shock arrival on January deadline day last year.

"There is no-one going in or out of the club before the transfer window (closes)," said Dalglish.

"There is nothing happening here."

"I don't read the papers so I don't know (about speculation).

"We have covered what we have to say. We don't need to justify what people are speculating about do we."

He said the only activity taking place was the on-going recruitment of young players, with Wrexham teenage goalkeeper Danny Ward set to move into Liverpool's youth set-up.

Dalglish thinks the last week, in which they reached their first final for five years with an aggregate victory over Manchester City in the Carling Cup and then knocked arch-rivals Manchester United out of the FA Cup, could be a significant marker.

"It is a bit of a work in progress. With seven players coming in during the summer, plus the two in January, it is a big ask," added Dalglish.

"If you look at the team who finished the matches in both games there were a lot of them (new signings) playing and I don't suppose many of them have played in semi-finals before.

"Although we drew against United in October, playing them in a cup tie at Anfield is a totally different thing.

"It was a great education for the new lads to see what the club stands for and what it means and I think everyone will benefit from that."

Dalglish is more focussed on getting the same level of performance out of his players for Tuesday's trip to Wolves where he recorded his first win after returning for a second spell as manager.

While they may have beaten the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City this season, Liverpool have lost league games to Stoke, Fulham and Bolton and drawn against Norwich, Swansea, Blackburn, Wigan and Sunderland.

After publicly criticising his players in their last Barclays Premier League outing at Bolton the 60-year-old does not think he needs to read the riot act before Wolves.

"I don't think we need any warnings. We have always gone in and played against any opposition and treated them with respect," he said.

"Everyone knows the Premier League is difficult and the quality of the teams there.

"There are no lesser teams for us. The only lesser teams are the ones we have just played; the next ones are the best ones because they are the ones coming up.

"That should be our attitude and philosophy as it has not served the club too badly in previous reigns so I don't see any reasons why we should change that.

"We would love to do better against teams that are below us in the league but we have to earn the right to take the points from those teams.

"If we don't play well enough or adapt well enough we won't get as many points as we would like."