So Rafa spent a net of £88.2m since joining

[Rafa La Bamba]

To be honest, that's not much at all. This is all he's had to spend in four summers at Liverpool, and seeing that Mourinho had more to spend than this in his first season, you can see why we can't win the league just yet.

£88.2m is a lot but to win the Premiership it's nothing! It's an average of £22.05m a season.

To be honest I can't see us spending more than £30m in net this summer, I just can't see Tom Hicks or George Gillette handing out that much of a kitty. If we spend £30m net then I can't see us winning the Premiership at all, but maybe giving it a good challenge.

It would be nice if Rafa was given £88.2m to spend this summer. Somehow I doubt that would ever happen under the yanks

[lfcreds27]

They were saying on sky sports that we dont spend anything compared to man u and chelski.

We need some funding

[LFC9]

Abromovic has spent 578 million since taking over at Silent Bridge

[Rafa La Bamba]

Says it all then doesn't it?

Looks like we really do need some serious funding or we may aswell forget the Premiership yet again. We got slightly closer this season, but this summer Chelsea will spend massive amounts and Man Utd already have a very strong team and they'll probably add to that. Arsenal look like they'll be even better but to be honest, it's Man Utd & Chelsea who'll be the strongest so they are the bench marks to where we got to get!

[RedPuppy]

Agreed, not a great deal when others have spent so much more, and in return we have won a few cups and come close to others. Of course the media will not mention the net balance just the total spent.
As for G&H, Hicks won't be spending anything this summer as he is goning to try and sell his 50%, it is Hicks who we have to worry about.
£30m may or may not bring us the EPL, as I feel now Rafa has decided on a "winning" formation in the latter part of the season, as it has been said in another post it was the draws that killed us. So the right players and formation, Rafa, and less tinkering, may mean £30m is enough.

[lil cisse]

Dont like to act like a know it all but I have been saying we need better financial backing for a while it is all that is stopping us from challenging for the league imo.

your right Ra Ra we do need more money alot more imo. I dont want 88 million in one go though it will feel like being another chelsea if we do that.

[7-King Kenny-7]

Mancs and chelsea spend roughly 88million in the summer and winter transfer market put together so its clear we need more money in order to compete 100%

[kopkiwi]

Do we need THAT much more spending or maybe just some astute buying?
Rafa has proven to be no mug when it comes to sniffing out a good deal. Made evident buy the purchases of Babel, Skrtel and Agger amongst others; Leiva, Alonso, Reina. All of whom were bought for what now appears to be absoulute bargain prices.

We can all agree that two wide players MUST be at the top of the list this summer. You throw in some of the players that we could be off loading as make weights in some of these deals. Maybe Crouch in a partial for Bentley or Barry, you may not have to spend a thing and already you have one of the wings more than taken care of.

Rumours are getting stronger that Alonso is on his way out for around the $14m mark, that and maybe another $6m and you could land Silva. You've only spend $6m net but already you have over $30m in players.

Leaves you with around $22m-$24m for maybe a David Villa or Kun Aguero.

Of course this is all just pure conjecture (and these aren't, of course, the players rafa may or may not be looking at, but for arguements sake I used them), but it's more to prove a point that a few sales and swaps here and there and you could find that $30m is ample for a serious title challenging team.

[neilh2105]

Puts it all in prospective when you think we were offered £40m today for Torres, he wants £25m for Xabi and Crouch £15m theirs your £80m. Rafa should get a job with a pension fund in the city if he ever gets bored with footy. He got a 100% return of those three players alone, where are his detractors now? come on speak up!!
IN RAFA WE MOST SURELY TRUST

[JD]

Benitez has certainly bought well overall in my opinion.  He got good prices for Bellamy.  Bit disappointing on Garcia but we all know that it was technically part of the Torres deal.

When you consider Harry Kewell cost Liverpool £22 million in transfers and wages over his time at Anfield then Torres has already been a bargain.  Although saying that for all his goals we haven't won anything this season.  But if we ever do have aspirations of winning a title then Torres will be a member of that side.

[donrafael]

They were saying on sky sports that we dont spend anything compared to man u and chelski.

We need some funding

Welcome to the reality that is called Liverpool Football Club.

Will not stop some thinking we should be winning the premiership irrelevant of this minor FACT.

[Court LFC]

We don't need as much as £500m!

FFS!  We only need a right & left back, along with one or two wingers & another striker!!!

The only reason Utd and Chelsea's figures are so high because they pay over the odds to get players!!!  I.E Drogba, Shevcheno, Boswinga.

For Utd it's Rooney, Carrick, Nani, Anderson, FERDINAND!!!

Rafa has done a brilliant job here with the funding he has been given.  4 - 5 players will now do the trick.

[ayrton77]

FFS!  We only need a right & left back, along with one or two wingers & another striker!!!

To even manage to stay relatively close to United and Chelsea is a miracle when we look at the figures! We're not that far behind either! If we consider we'd need around £10-15 million each for a world-class left/right back, £15-20 million for a quality winger, then £25 million for David Villa upfront ( ), we'd come to an approximative total of £60-75 million... sounds a hell of a lot, but thats what these team spend EVERY year...!

Maybe not even that much eaither, because that's without counting what money we could bring in from player sales... makes you think!

[bob_blah]

Benitez has certainly bought well overall in my opinion. 

I completely agree, and I always look at two things when I consider our chances going forward:

1) he beat Barca and Real with 10% of their transfer budget
2) he has been poaching the best youngsters from around the world. The success of the Reserves this season bears this out

In saying that, there are two qualifiers - he needs to produce the goods next season. If not winning the league, we need to be playing on the last day with the chance to win it, not 11 points behind.

Secondly, I really can't see the yanks anteing up any serious money this summer given the way the sh*te is still flying around the boardroom. If they are going to sell, they are certainly not going to be putting any more cash into the business. This worries me _big style_!!

[liverpoolian34]

thats why im worried and pissed about thi summer.

[bartman49]

People who keep knocking Rafa will perhaps now understand what a good manager he is, there is no one I can think of managing a team in the EPL that would have done what Rafa has done on 22 mill a year.

[lfc 4life]

if we spend 50-60 million this summer on 3-4 quailty players I.e. left/right full backs (rafinha & ?,), a winger (bentley), an a young quailty striker like (aguero), an work on defending set-pieces we can win the title aswell as rafa keeps a consistant team out.

[solodee]

We could have won the EPL this year, if we have won say, 5 additional games. We have had some good straight wins this season. Better quality players means increased chances of winning, but we can still win it with the players we have now.

[king kenny]

We need quality wingers, I feel its very very important to strengthen in this department.   I don't think we need the sort of money mentioned £88.2m this season, but hey is there such a think as too much money in the transfer market.  Add Tevez to the equation and united spent about that last summer, and they were adding to a winning squad.  Chelsea can spend most of that on one player when considering wages.

[lil cisse]

I reckon ...

Rafinha for RB with arbeloa as the 'back-up'

Insua/Amorbieta/Chiellini or Heinze for LB with Aurelio as back-up

Bentley RM yossi or Pennant as back-up

Maxi/Mancini/Silva/Riera as LB with a youngster e.g. anderson/Hammill as the back up

would do well. We dont need to spend extreme amounts just buy the right players and they are all there to buy.

[solodee]

Maxi/Mancini/Silva/Riera as LB with a youngster e.g. anderson/Hammill as the back up

Ashley Young tops them all! But I guess it would be too much to as Villa for; Barry & Young. that is.

[lil cisse]

Ashley Young tops them all! But I guess it would be too much to as Villa for; Barry & Young. that is.

But he isnt even a LW even though he can play there. I wouldnt class him above Riera and Silva on the left mid atall he is good but wow that is a big claim. He is a phenominal talent though, we wont even go for him villa wouldnt let him leave and I think he wants to stay there he seems good friends with agbonlahor who is a die hard villa fan.

[srslfc]

We dont need to spend extreme amounts just buy the right players and they are all there to buy.

Very good point Lil cisse. I know that sometimes it takes big money to buy the top players but also there are many excellent players available which will not cost massive amounts of money and I feel Rafa is well capable of finding the right players to take us to the next level even if we don't spend as much as our rivals.

[wdavidw10]

I think we could of won the league this season with players we had, hopefully in the summer Tom and George will give Rafa more money to spend on players, but not to many players, say 3 or 4, with a decent budget.

[Torresdinho]

I personally think it has nothing to do with the spending. Rafa has had more than enough money over the years to contend with Man U and Chelsea and he dosent help his case when he buys players like Bellamy who put in a poor performance only for Rafa to end up selling them in in the end. The lack of fundings is just an excuse for the real problem which is on the pitch with our sometimes very frequent inconsistency against the smaller clubs and in our first starting 11.

I give credit when it is due, and I give credit to Crouch whos attitude has been superb after being dropped to the bench for so many games this season. He just takes it on the chin and gets on with it. But there is a certain lack of skill and quality that some of our players (including Crouch) have compared to Man U and Arsenal and this problem can be solved by buying players with quality not just because they are Free or Cheap. 

[srslfc]

I personally think it has nothing to do with the spending. Rafa has had more than enough money over the years to contend with Man U and Chelsea and he dosent help his case when he buys players like Bellamy who put in a poor performance only for Rafa to end up selling them in in the end.

Disagree with this for two reasons.

1. Chelsea and Manchester United consistently spend vast amounts of money in the transfer market and Rafa has not had nowhere near the funds required to match them in this area.

2. Rafa has bought players who have not proved to be good enough but one thing he has done is realised they are not up to the standard and more often than not sold them on for a profit.

[Torresdinho]

Ok. Maybe Man U was a bad example. Lets pick someone like A. Wenger. He is a manager who is known for having low funds but always almost without fail, manages to buy young players who all possess quality and skill. Though this is not totally down to the players as it is Wenger who installs his pass and move philosphy in these players but it is the fact that Wenger dosent have to spend millions upon millions to contend with the Man U and Chelsea and as a result, Arsenal ARE constant contenders for the title every season. 

[srslfc]

Wenger dosent have to spend millions upon millions to contend with the Man U and Chelsea and as a result, Arsenal ARE constant contenders for the title every season. 

I have spoke before on the forum about the great myth that Arsenal do so well without spending any money. In the last three season we have finished above them in 05/06 and 06/07 while only being 6 points behind this season. Also they have got to one European Cup final while we have got to one final and a semi final while putting them out in the process.

I would argue that we are just as much contenders as Arsenal are but just don't get the credit from the media.

[carrollfella]

unfortunately... I dont think we'll ever compete in money terms with the mancs or chelski... at least not until we have the new stadium up n running for a few years.... so sit back and enjoy another season coming up of... "if only" and "why didnt we"...

[GERNS]

With Alonso already on the move, Rafa has obviously got a replacment in mind who must also be readily available and prepared and ready to come to Anfield. Otherwise, surely he wouldn't have let Alonso go ! Also, how many times was Rafa slated for playing weakened teams against lowly opposition and then losing or drawing matches. All those cheaply dropped points would have made us contenders this season. Manure, the arse and the chavs lost or drew games with full streangth sides out. Surely if Rafa plays his strongest side every game we will close the gap with very little spending in the summer. It would be great to see some top names coming to Anfield of course, but I think we can still improve on this season without spending masses. When the yanks are a part of out history we can then make a serious prem assault with the proper funding throughout the club. Remember, if we are too successfull to quick, this will only make Hick's position financially sronger as well. That leaves us between a rock and a hard place really. Lets get the yanks out first.