SOCCER:LIVERPOOL ARE on the brink of appointing Brendan Rodgers as their new manager after Swansea City's chairman, Huw Jenkins, accepted he could not refuse the 39-year-old Northern Irishman the opportunity of a move to Anfield.

Two weeks after sacking Kenny Dalglish for finishing eighth in the Premier League, Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, concluded the search for his replacement during talks with Rodgers in London.

The former Watford and Reading manager agreed a three-year contract with John W Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool’s principal owner and chairman respectively, before informing Swansea he wished to quit after a hugely successful two-year spell at the Liberty Stadium.

All that stands in the way of Rodgers being confirmed as Liverpool manager is an agreement on a compensation package.

Under the terms of the three-and-a-half year contract that Rodgers signed in January, the Welsh club are entitled to around €6.25 million.

A predecessor at Swansea, Roberto Martinez, was also in the running to succeed Dalglish but despite interrupting a holiday to meet Henry in Miami last Thursday, he had no further contact with Liverpool after the weekend.

Both Rodgers and Martinez made it known to Liverpool’s owners that they would be reluctant to work within the new management structure intended for Anfield.

That proposal, with Louis van Gaal approached to be sporting director but inevitably wanting far-reaching control at the club, is now in doubt.

Liverpool’s successful pursuit of Rodgers, who initially rejected their offer of an interview as he had no wish to be on a lengthy list, was confirmed in a statement from the Swansea chairman.

Jenkins stated: “I was contacted by Liverpool last night and they expressed their wish to speak to Brendan. I had a discussion with Brendan to talk about their interest and his views on whether he wanted to speak to Liverpool. He expressed his wish with me to do that and he has spoken to Liverpool today.

“Following on from discussions with Liverpool’s owners, Brendan has informed us that he would like to take up their offer to manage Liverpool. At the moment we are currently in talks with the owners to agree compensation. We are trying to finalise that within the next 24 hours.

“Although we are very disappointed to lose such a talented, young British manager, we didn’t wish to stand in his way. As always at Swansea City, we want people working here who are fully committed to the task ahead. We wish Brendan every success in the future.”

Gus Poyet, Ian Holloway and Alan Curbishley are among the early favourites to succeed Rodgers at Swansea and Jenkins added: “We will always remain good friends and we thank him for all his hard work and passion over the past two years.”

“We shall now refocus and quickly start the process of finding his replacement to continue the great work Brendan has carried out.”

Rodgers is expected to be officially unveiled as Liverpool manager at Anfield tomorrow. He may yet be joined on the backroom staff by Steve Clarke who, as assistant manager to Dalglish, offered his resignation following the Anfield legend’s departure.

FSG rejected his resignation, however, and he may yet be reunited with Rodgers, a former colleague at Chelsea.

The most critical appointment in Liverpool’s recent history was how the club’s managing director, Ian Ayre, described the search for Dalglish’s successor when it commenced two weeks ago.

In that context the process has been swift, productive but far from painless for FSG as the stark reality of Liverpool’s regression has confronted the club’s owners en route to anointing Rodgers.

In 2004 when Liverpool were seeking to replace Gerard Houllier as manager they had the option of the two most promising young managers in Europe: Rafael Benitez had just won the Spanish title and Uefa Cup with Valencia and Jose Mourinho the Portuguese championship plus Champions League with Porto.

Eight years on it was a straight fight between the trophy-less managers of Wigan Athletic and Swansea, who finished 15th and 11th in the Premier League last season respectively.

Martinez is also a candidate for the managerial vacancy at Aston Villa but the Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, claims the Spaniard will not be leaving the DW Stadium.

“Roberto is staying with us and I’ve agreed to his request to up our spending on youth development and training facilities,” said Whelan. “That’s going to be pretty costly as I have agreed to a full-sized indoor pitch – and that will cost €1.5 million (€1.9 million).”

Started with a hurl: Rodgers a late comer to soccer

CARNLOUGH MAY be one of the few parishes in the Glens of Antrim without a senior hurling team but that didn’t stop a young Brendan Rodgers from falling in love with the game along with his pals at the local GAA club, where both codes of the national games played a huge part in his youth.

The 39-year-old, who’s son Anton has represented the Republic of Ireland at underage level, freely admits soccer didn’t get much of a look in during his formative years, with a young Rodgers preferring hurling and Gaelic football as a kid growing up in the small village on the Antrim coast.

With soccer relegated to the odd kickabout on the street it was only after moving to St Patrick’s College in nearby Ballymena – where another local hero, Liam Neeson, was also educated – that Rodgers started playing soccer competitively for local club Star United.

“I played Gaelic football and hurling but not football, except in the street, until 13,” Rodgers has explained. “I started playing football at 13 at St Patrick’s College in Ballymena, the same school as the actor Liam Neeson.”

The fact that his cousin Nigel Worthington started making waves in the professional ranks around the same time stoked his passion for the game and it wasn’t long before scouts from across the Irish Sea came calling to the Rodgers’s household.

Manchester United were in touch before his 15th birthday but after visiting the club Rodgers figured he would become too small a fish in too big a pond.

Instead, his late father Malachy counselled a move to Reading and it was with the Royals that Rodgers signed until injury wrecked his playing career at the age of 20.

Rodgers set about forging himself a career in the coaching side of the game. Jose Mourinho appointed him as youth team coach at Chelsea in 2004 – you may remember him featuring on the Sky television series Football Icon – before a “dream” return to Reading soured and ending with him getting the sack.

Undeterred, he jumped at the chance to manage Swansea and the entertaining, attacking brand of football he employed saw the Welsh club promoted to the top flight within a year of his appointment.

NOEL O'REILLY