Werner: Liverpool to spend more wiselyLiverpool chairman Tom Werner has indicated that the big spending that marked Kenny Dalglish's second spell as Anfield manager is a thing of the past.
Dalglish spent £35 million on Andy Carroll, lavished around £20 million each on Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson and bought Charlie Adam from Blackpool for £8 million.
Despite the heavy outlay, the Merseysiders - although winning the Carling Cup - finished in a disappointing eighth place in the Premier League and Dalglish departed soon after the end of the season to be replaced by Brendan Rodgers.
"This is a very financially strong organisation, LFC," Werner said. "I believe - not just in the previous season, but in the past - we have overspent for players, and the results were not what we have expected.
"We do have the resources to be competitive, but at the same time, we are going to operate in a way that will be a self-sustaining model. I think you will see that you don't necessarily have to go out and spend £50 million on one player to see success."
Werner predicted that Rodgers would make a positive impression on the Anfield faithful, adding: "I don't think anyone could have been happy with our performance on the pitch last year - no disrespect to Kenny. I think he is an iconic figure for Liverpool and he will always be appreciated for the stability that he brought to the club.
"Brendan brings a very thoughtful, modern, attacking philosophy - I think our fans will be very delighted with the attacking philosophy that he brings to Liverpool - and hopefully we will see improvement."
Carroll, in particular, has become symbolic of Liverpool's big spending, with reports suggesting the club are likely to take a hit of at least £15 million on the deal in any permanent sale only 18 months after signing him.
The England international, 23, has been linked with a return to Newcastle - who offered to take him on loan with a view to a permanent deal - while AC Milan expressed an interest in a loan after Rodgers hinted that the striker may not be part of his long-term plans.
Werner has insisted that the manager will have the final say on Carroll and suggested a decision will be made on the forward in the near future, saying the club would not attempt to influence Rodgers in any way.
"Brendan is clearly the leader here," he told Sky Sports News. "The only thing I can say is we will do what is best for the club. At the moment Andy is on the squad, he is an important member of the England team and he has a lot of talent. We will see what happens."
It would appear that Werner does not expect the situation to drag on deep into the transfer window, saying: "Hopefully the question will be answered shortly, but at the moment Andy is on the team and we look forward to him contributing."
I must have missed this massive outlay the owners have put towards taking us (as they first promised ) to the pinnacle of Domestic and European
football ,maybe they have conveniently forgotten those first promises ?
Maybe its me ,but do all American owners believe Liverpool supporters suffer from Alzheimer's ? I mean what happened to the big plans and
listening to a vast cross section of supporters across the country ? I never heard them talk about being a self sustaining model or abstaining
from competing at the top end of the market for marquee players ,no I heard exactly the opposite ,because they know that type of speech
would have left countless reds fans disappointed ....Brendan Rodgers is a good manager ,but I personally think they can only big up the managers
quality's so many times before it falls on deaf ears ,because as we all know it doesn't matter how good the manager is unless he has the kind of
class players that can make his job a hell of a lot smoother ,if anything Benitez is testament to that .
We are owned by millionaires ,the New York Times the biggest most distinguished media outlet in America ,a collative of the richest people and
businesses in America ....So am I missing something here ? http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/161896.html?CMP=OTC-RSS