Rafa Benitez, manager of Liverpool, slammed Manchester City as being "cash obsessed". Speaking at a press conference called to unveil his new budget signing, £17 million Glen Johnson, Benitez said "I've tried to sign lots of players, but manchester City just offer more cash. It's all about money, money, money. The sums of cash they are offering are obscene and it needs to stop. Our players are on much smaller wages. some of them are on as little as £60,000 a week. It's hard to afford more than a mansion in Cheshire on that sort of cash."
Benitez suggested that the sport's governing body should step in and prevent players from joining any club other than Liverpool. "All I want is fair play. I just want a chance. If I fuck it up again this year it's adios."