Rafa tells Kop idols to follow his lead and sign deals

Rafael Benitez has turned his attention to getting the club's top stars to sign new deals at Anfield after he committed himself to the club until 2014.

The Liverpool manager ended months of bitter wrangling over his future by signing a contract last night.

But while Benitez has been in lengthy negotiations with co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, many of his players have put their own futures on hold.

Striker Dirk Kuyt admits he was advised to wait until Benitez's future had been concluded before opening negotiations over his new deal, while Danish defender Daniel Agger's contract talks seemed to have stalled some weeks ago.

There could also be new deals for Spanish striker Fernando Torres, skipper Steven Gerrard and goalkeeper Jose Reina.

Benitez now has control over the club's transfer budget — one of the concessions he insisted on in his new deal — and that should allow him to secure the long-term futures of several stars.

After signing the new deal last night, the Spaniard said: "My heart is with Liverpool, so I'm delighted. I love the club, the fans and the city and, with a club like this and supporters like this, I could never say no to staying."

The completion of contract talks with Benitez is the third major boost for Liverpool supporters in recent days, coming after wins against Real Madrid, in the Champions League, and Manchester United, in the Premier League.