 "MONEY doesn't talk, it swears," someone far wiser and more profound than me once said. And according to most Merseyside football fans, the cash cow looks set to eff and blind its way up the M1, all the way to Anfield and Goodison this summer. Chelsea confirmed what most of football already knew this week, when they admitted an interest in Steven Gerrard. And it seems that Mr Gerrard is smitten with the overtures from West London. Which leads fans to wonder, why? The knee jerk reaction from most of them is simple. Money. And there is no doubt that a salary of around £120,000 per week could be very persuasive. But Gerrard is already a very wealthy man - and there are only so many LV suit carriers, mock tudor mansions and Mercedes SLKs you can buy. The other appeal, therefore, would appear to be medal-winning potential - and unpalatable though the truth may be to many here on Merseyside, Chelsea offer more of that than Liverpool at present. Which is why Gerrard's proposed departure is being treated as outright betrayal. Because it highlights a truth many would prefer to hide from. Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez are both talented managers taking over new charges, but only those blinded by red-tinted glasses would say the raw materials at Benitez's disposal are better. Mourinho has to decide whether to ditch Frank Lampard to accommodate Joe Cole, make his mind up which of Scott Parker and Geremi to play, choose between Damien Duff and Arjen Robben, and somehow find room for Claude Makelele. Benitez has Vladimir Smicer, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou - no, he hasn't gone yet - putting pressure on Liverpool's regular midfield four. Gerrard's potential departure is a whole new situation, one which Liverpool fans have never had to deal with before. When Kevin Keegan and Ian Rush jumped ship at the height of their powers, they did so for foreign clubs. That shows how far their stock has slipped in the past decade. Evertonians are more used to dealing with these sort of losses. The departures of Nick Barmby, Francis Jeffers, Duncan Ferguson, Michael Ball were received like kicks in the stomach, but they would pale compared to losing Wayne Rooney. | 
