One of Benítez's first tasks at Liverpool was to convince club captain Steven Gerrard not to move to rivals Chelsea. He was unable, however, to convince Michael Owen to extend his contract; he was subsequently sold to Real Madrid. Later in the summer transfer window, Benítez signed several players from La Liga, most notably Luis García and Xabi Alonso, both of whom drew immediate admiration from Liverpool supporters. Benítez also gave new life to existing Liverpool players, transforming Jamie Carragher from a utility player to one of Europe's top centre backs alongside Sami Hyypiä.