Kenny Dalglish future remains unclear after talks with Liverpool owners Tony Barrett Published 1 minute ago Kenny Dalglish has been left in limbo after face-to-face talks with Fenway Sports Group (FSG) concluded without confirmation from the owners that he will continue as Liverpool manager next season.Dalglish flew to Boston on Monday along with Steve Clarke, his assistant, to continue the review of Liverpool’s season, but he returned yesterday morning having failed to receive any clarification or reassurances over his position. The talks with John W. Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool’s principal owners, ended in a matter of hours as Dalglish flew from Heathrow to Boston’s Logan Airport and back in less than a day, before going on a pre-planned family holiday. The scheduled meeting, which took place at Dalglish’s request, prompted further speculation that the 61-year-old will pay the price for Liverpool’s poor performances in the Barclays Premier League by losing his job. Club officials refused to be drawn on the matter as Henry and Werner continue their deliberations, but it is clear that even if Dalglish does receive the backing of the club’s owners, it will be conditional rather than absolute. FSG has to decide whether it believes that Dalglish is capable of masterminding the upturn in fortunes that it is seeking over the next 12 months. Chief among its considerations is the viability of entrusting the Scot with taking charge of player recruitment during the forthcoming transfer window, having accepted that further investment in Liverpool’s squad is necessary this summer. The shortcomings of Liverpool’s transfer policy during the past year have already cost Damien Comolli his job as director of football, the Frenchman being dismissed last month largely because of FSG’s belief that he had paid too much for Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, in particular. Henry and Werner are keen to do everything in their power to ensure that Liverpool extract more value from the transfer market this summer and Dalglish’s fate will rest largely on whether his employers are willing to back his judgment again. In effect, FSG’s decision will come down to backing a manager whom it never wished to appoint in the first place or sacking him after only 17 months in charge. Though the review is expected to continue for several weeks, Henry and Werner are understood to be keen to clarify the manager’s position at the earliest opportunity, particularly with the transfer window opening on June 1. Acutely aware of the sensitivities of supporters, FSG will have realised that how it handles Dalglish will go a long way towards determining whether the honeymoon period that began when it bought the club in October 2010 is brought to an end. Despite Liverpool’s struggles in the Premier League last season, Dalglish remains one of the most revered figures for Liverpool’s fanbase and the likelihood is that there would be an outcry if it was thought that the Anfield legend had not been treated with the dignity and respect they feel he deserves. The doubts that surround Dalglish, and the proximity of the transfer window, shine more light on the structural weakness that threatens to undermine Liverpool, just as they attempt to revive their own fortunes. With a search for a chief executive having recently resumed after being abandoned a year ago, FSG has also added to the instability by removing both Comolli and Ian Cotton, the club’s director of communications, without being in a position to appoint immediate replacements for either. FSG also continues to look for a solution to Liverpool’s long-running new stadium saga, but a resolution does not appear to be imminent.
