Rafa Benitez is convinced the arrival of Philipp Degen and Andrea Dossena can give Liverpool the added dimension needed to make a sustained challenge for the Barclays Premier League title next season.
The Reds boss - who was speaking at an afternoon press conference held to unveil the duo to the members of the media - believes the full-backs will give his side more attacking verve in the wide areas.
"I think everyone was thinking the same as us, that we needed to improve in the wide areas," he said.
"We have the spine of the team with Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano and all these players that we know. In the wide areas maybe we needed something different so we were looking for full-backs with an offensive mentality.
"Dossena likes to play football, and Degen is the same, he goes forward with quality. So we now have two players who can go forward and they will compete for their positions and hopefully it will be good for the team."
Benitez has been linked with a whole host of Europe's top talent this summer but insists it is more about improving the side in areas where he feels they will benefit rather than signing big names.
"Sometimes it is not about how much money you spend but getting the players you need," he continued.
"We needed full-backs with different qualities and these two players could be good for us. Afterwards maybe you can sign big names and maybe people will be happy, but the priority is to sign the players that you want and need - in this case two full-backs who can give something more to the team."
While neither player has experienced the fast pace of the English league, the Reds boss is confident the two players - who arrive from the Bundesliga and Serie A respectively - will prove their quality and make a rapid transition into life in the Premier League.
"I think all foreign players need time to adjust and it depends on the mentality," he said.
"Both players are very good professionals and that was one of the things we were looking for; a strong mentality and they can compete as well, so I think they will be okay.
"They played in the Italian league and the German league. They are both leagues with a high level and strong players so I think they will settle quickly.
"Degen can talk English, although he is more comfortable in German and he can also speak French. His English is okay. Dossena is learning. He can understand Spanish so it will be easy for him and we can talk in Italian too, so it is not a problem."
The new additions mean Benitez has a variety of full-backs at his disposal for the new campaign and he expects his latest recruits to battle it out with the likes of Steve Finnan, Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa for a place in his starting XI - although he does feel Saturday's pre-season friendly at Tranmere could come too soon for both players.
"They will need to compete for their positions," he said. "We will also need to see about the international players who have returned. I think that with Dossena, maybe he will not play against Tranmere.
"Degen we are working with and we will see. In terms of the Premier League they can both be ready if they train well in the pre-season.
"If they can give us the things that they have both spoken about with an offensive mentality and quality with the ball then it will help us and also the two strikers."
The Reds boss - who was speaking at an afternoon press conference held to unveil the duo to the members of the media - believes the full-backs will give his side more attacking verve in the wide areas.
"I think everyone was thinking the same as us, that we needed to improve in the wide areas," he said.
"We have the spine of the team with Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano and all these players that we know. In the wide areas maybe we needed something different so we were looking for full-backs with an offensive mentality.
"Dossena likes to play football, and Degen is the same, he goes forward with quality. So we now have two players who can go forward and they will compete for their positions and hopefully it will be good for the team."
Benitez has been linked with a whole host of Europe's top talent this summer but insists it is more about improving the side in areas where he feels they will benefit rather than signing big names.
"Sometimes it is not about how much money you spend but getting the players you need," he continued.
"We needed full-backs with different qualities and these two players could be good for us. Afterwards maybe you can sign big names and maybe people will be happy, but the priority is to sign the players that you want and need - in this case two full-backs who can give something more to the team."
While neither player has experienced the fast pace of the English league, the Reds boss is confident the two players - who arrive from the Bundesliga and Serie A respectively - will prove their quality and make a rapid transition into life in the Premier League.
"I think all foreign players need time to adjust and it depends on the mentality," he said.
"Both players are very good professionals and that was one of the things we were looking for; a strong mentality and they can compete as well, so I think they will be okay.
"They played in the Italian league and the German league. They are both leagues with a high level and strong players so I think they will settle quickly.
"Degen can talk English, although he is more comfortable in German and he can also speak French. His English is okay. Dossena is learning. He can understand Spanish so it will be easy for him and we can talk in Italian too, so it is not a problem."
The new additions mean Benitez has a variety of full-backs at his disposal for the new campaign and he expects his latest recruits to battle it out with the likes of Steve Finnan, Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa for a place in his starting XI - although he does feel Saturday's pre-season friendly at Tranmere could come too soon for both players.
"They will need to compete for their positions," he said. "We will also need to see about the international players who have returned. I think that with Dossena, maybe he will not play against Tranmere.
"Degen we are working with and we will see. In terms of the Premier League they can both be ready if they train well in the pre-season.
"If they can give us the things that they have both spoken about with an offensive mentality and quality with the ball then it will help us and also the two strikers."
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