Liverpool FC

Michael Shields has been denied a pardon by Jack Straw which would have seen him released from jail for a crime he has always maintained he did not commit.

Glen Johnson has taken Andrea Dossena's squad number according to the official website, fueling speculation the Italian is on his way out of Anfield.

Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano are constantly being linked with moves away from the club; but if Rafa does let either of these leave we can wave goodbye to a serious title challenge next year.

There were some Fernando Torres quotes floating around cyberspace this morning from an interview he did recently with El Pais. Whilst the quotes in the paper were open and honest on subjects from Rafa to moving from Madrid, they just don't do the entire article justice. It's beyond refreshing to see a player of Torres' calibre give an interview like this.

Massive, Massive thanks to Libertina Warbeck over at RAWK for taking the time to translate the interview. It may be a bit long, but I can assure you it'll be one of the best interviews you've read in a while.

Torres opens up about living in Liverpool to becoming a father, as well as his view on Ronaldo's move and Xabi Alonso. Take the time to read this. I promise you'll not be disappointed.

El Pais's interview with Fernando Torres, after the jump.

Gianluca Vialli once wrote that the right back of a football team tends to be the worst player in the side. It wasn’t that he had any particular gripe with Gary Neville, or Albert Ferrer, or even his old friend Moreno Mannini, he had a more rational and logical explanation.

To Vialli, an under-rated commentator on the modern game, and co-author (along with the equally impressive Gabriele Marcotti) of one of the most thought-provoking football books of the last decade- The Italian Job- the logic was simple. A right back ended up a right back because he wasn’t tall enough to be a central defender, quick enough or tricky enough to be a wide player, or proficient enough on the ball to be a midfielder. And he didn’t have a left foot, something which can often swell a player’s importance to a team.

Reports coming from most of the major papers this morning claim Rafa Benitez and Xabi Alonso will meet this week to discuss the midfielder's future at Anfield. Real Madrid have reportedly offered £20million - a number that is beyond laughable for a player of Alonso's talent.

Alonso is current being valued at £50million by the club in an effort to price him out of the market. But given Real Madrid's spending at the moment, one would have to figure it's only a matte of time before they come back with an improved off. And assuming it's in the £30million area, you have to wonder where Rafa's tipping point is at the moment.

Alonso spoke to Spanish magazine Don Balon regarding his future at the club and where he goes from here. Whilst reports have him wanting out at the club, it's obvious to see based on his comments that he'd be more than happy staying at Liverpool.

We've all discussed our transfer targets ad nauseam this summer with the names Villa and Silva coming up on an almost daily basis. So far we've managed to get Glen Johnson signed, sealed, and delivered -- but that's been the extent of our summer transfers so far.

Whilst we're still going into the month of July, there seem to be some big question marks regarding Rafa's next transfer move. And whilst we'd all love to see David Villa in a Liverpool kit, you have to wonder if it's worth moving Alonso or Masch this summer to fund the move.

Fernando Torres clearly believes we need to keep our best players before we go out and mortgage our squad for a big name.

Done and dusted. Glen Johnson put pen to paper on a four-year contract that officially makes him Rafa's first big signing of the summer. The deal was just announced on Liverpoolfc.tv, so rest assured it's confirmed and finalised.

Seriously, what the f*** is going on today? We're getting letters from RBS, news that Villa may or may not be in the cards this summer (depending on who you ask), and now this bit of news that made my skin crawl: Andriy Voronin is on his way back to Anfield, and is looking for some first team football. Did he not get the hint the first time around?

Apparently George Gillett's sale of his majority stake in the Montreal Canadians has made things all better between our ownership and RBS. Just about a fortnight ago, the media was having a go at us regarding the future of the £350m loan with company. Local MP, Peter Kilfoyle, even went so far as to try and push for a block on refinancing deal -- a move that was supported by many Liverpool supporters.

Fast forward to today and you'll see that things are completely different. The club is in the midst of the transfer window having already agreed to a £17m move for Glen Johnson. The whole RBS issue? Well they're telling those same Liverpool supporters who were furious about a possible renewal on the refinancing package to relax! The ownership was able to meet their debt obligations "comfortably"!

Who in the world ever expected RBS to send this sort of letter to supporters? I surely didn't see it coming. The letter in full after the jump.