Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has welcomed captain Steven
Gerrard's decision to publicly commit himself to the
club.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who has been linked with a summer
move to Real Madrid, backed Hodgson's plans, welcomed the arrival
of new signing Joe Cole and said he was looking forward to playing
alongside his England team-mate.
And that has delighted Hodgson, who has met Gerrard only briefly
since taking over from Rafael Benitez on July 1.
"It's a great piece of news," said the 62-year-old
Englishman.
"There won't be anyone in Liverpool who isn't delighted to hear
that.
"I'm really pleased about it because I've got great respect for
Steven Gerrard.
"He's a player who I was really looking forward to working with
when I came to Liverpool.
"It seems now with that commitment that this will happen. It
gives everyone a boost without question.
"It will be a tough season, with a lot of matches and the
disappointment of last season is going to take a while to
dissipate, but it is very good that our best player is still going
to be playing at this club.
"Hopefully with the signing of Joe Cole - and if we are lucky
one or two others, to boost the squad - we will be going into this
season's competition, maybe stronger on paper than we were last
season."
Gerrard said in the Liverpool Echo: "(Joe Cole) is a
great signing for us. I know Joe well through the England set-up
and have seen first hand just how good a player he is.
"I've told him what a great club this is and I'm sure Joe's the
sort of exciting talent our fans will love to see."
Of his own future, he said: "I made it clear that I simply
needed to concentrate on the World Cup and then have a decent
holiday with my family.
"I wanted the chance to meet Roy Hodgson privately and having
done so, I'm very impressed with his plans for the future."
Hodgson had earlier said: "Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard
did a good job in selling the club to Joe at the recent World
Cup.
"He was undecided about what he wanted to do and to be fair it
takes a bit more selling to persuade a Londoner who has played all
his life in London to move up to Liverpool.
"The simple solution would have been to stay in the London
area."
He added on talkSPORT: "I am pleased to get the player because
it is very important to try to improve our squad as much as we can
in order to reach the high goals we have set ourselves.
"It is also pleasing the reaction of the fans has been as
positive as our reaction, so at the moment that is perfect.
"Now it is up to Joe to show on the field he is the right
man."
Carragher, meanwhile, feels the signing of Cole proved a point
to their Barclays Premier League rivals who maybe thought the club
were on the slide after a disappointing seventh-placed finish.
"It's great news and it is a message that Liverpool mean
business," said the 32-year-old.
"We have signed a top international player who has been really
important for Chelsea.
"A lot of clubs wanted to sign him but it is a real coup that he
has chosen to come here and you have got to give the manager and
the board a pat on the back for convincing him to come here.
"Every supporter that I have spoken to is absolutely delighted
and all the players are the same - it's given everyone a boost,
just at the right time.
"It has been a long summer and we have been in a transitional
period but now the World Cup is out of the way, we can start to
look forward again.
"The fact we have got him has given everyone a boost around the
city. It's good news again and, hopefully, there will be more to
come.
"It's the kind of signing that we needed to make."
Fernando Torres has also been heavily linked with a move away
from Liverpool - and Hodgson has already spoken to him as he nurses
the injury he suffered in the World Cup final.
"I met Torres last Wednesday in Ibiza, albeit briefly," said the
manager.
"He told me the groin problem was not anything to worry about,
it was something which would clear up with rest on holiday.
"We are hoping he will come back fit and well."