Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier says he’s still very much interested in finally becoming Djibril Cissé’s boss despite the striker suffering a second broken leg last week.
Houllier instigated the £14m transfer one year before he left the Liverpool manager’s post and so never got to look after a player he’d clearly coveted. At the time of Djibil playing in last week’s friendly against China, Liverpool CEO Rick Parry was meeting with Papa Diouf, his equivalent from Marseille. Now Houllier has admitted that he too was looking to make a move for the player.
Houllier is now boss of French champions Lyon, and says he’ll be monitoring the player as he makes steps towards recovery: “We’re awaiting his return to fitness, which could be around Christmas. To have one bad leg break is unlucky for any player, but this was Cisse’s second since he left Auxerre for Liverpool less than two years ago.”
Houllier says he had expected to Cissé to join Lyon straight after the tournament: “He came to England at my invitation, although circumstances were to dictate that I left as he arrived. In fact, I had been hoping to extend a belated welcome to him after the World Cup.”
It’s unlikely that Houllier will make any moves to take Salif Diao or Bruno Cheyrou off Liverpool’s hands.