Foreign effect may have fazed Gerrard - Clough
Former Liverpool striker Nigel Clough has cited the lack of British players in the Reds' squad as a possible reason behind the confusion surrounding Steven Gerrard's future earlier this week.
Gerrard signed a new four-year deal at Anfield today having previously rocked the club to its foundations by indicating he intended to leave - a move which saw Premiership champions Chelsea make a bid for the Liverpool captain.
The reasons Gerrard gave for thinking about an Anfield exit were related to stalling contract negotiations, making the England midfielder feel like he was no longer wanted by manager Rafael Benitez. However Clough believes there may be another explanation.
"Perhaps the fact that there are very few British players in the squad played a small part," the Burton Albion boss told the Press Association. "The fact that he and Jamie Carragher are the only local lads in the team may have also been a factor.
"It was a bizarre turn of events but in the end Gerrard was definitely right to stay. Benitez has signed a lot of foreign players but they are good players and the future looks bright for Liverpool and Gerrard is going to play a huge part in whatever success they do have.
"I really like his partnership with Xabi Alonso in the centre of midfield and I think Gerrard knows Benitez is building something good at Anfield as he sees more quality players arriving around him.
"But hopefully it`s all behind him and the club now, he`s signed the new contract and I think he realises that as long as the team wins and he is surrounded by good players then it doesn`t matter where they come from."
Clough, who made just 31 appearances and scored nine goals between 1993 and 1996 during an injury-ravaged Anfield career, also believes keeping Gerrard means Liverpool will enjoy a good campaign next season but thinks the four foreign signings Benitez has made so far this summer may take time to settle.
"Gerrard staying is important and I think Liverpool will be better in the Premiership this season than they have been in recent years," said the 39-year-old.
"If they can transfer some of the confidence they must have from winning the Champions League into their league form then they should mount more of a challenge this time around.
"Consistency was the problem last year, as it has been for a while now, and with a number of new signings again this time I think they will still struggle to match the consistency of Chelsea and Manchester United.
"Although Rafael Benitez is an extremely good coach and there were signs towards the end of last season that the side was becoming more consistent. If anyone can make them more consistent it`s Benitez, he is definitely the right person to be in charge."
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