Reds defend transfer policy

Liverpool are adamant manager Rafa Benitez has not had his hands tied in the summer transfer window.

The Reds have made only two big-name signings since June, with Glen Johnson and Alberto Aquilani arriving for a combined total of around ?6million, while Greece international Sortis Kyrgiakos has been bought for a cut-price fee of ?.5m.

At the same time Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa have left for in deals worth an overall ?3.5m, and it has been suggested Liverpool could have spent more of that income.

But the club's managing director, Christian Purslow, who took up his role in June, insists Benitez has not been restricted in his transfer activity.

"We've spent pretty much the same as we've spent every year over the past four or five years," Purslow said in The Times.

"We've spent about ?0 million more than we've generated, which is what we expected.

"We've bought players the manager wanted to buy and sold players the manager wanted to sell and it has cost us almost to the penny what we expected it to cost.

"In fact, some of our competitors haven't spent any money and we have. Spending isn't the panacea everyone thinks it is, but we've spent ?0 million and that's real money.

"There are lots of costs associated with buying players and extending players that all go into transfer funds."