Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is only seeking summer transfer targets who can help the club foster a winning mentality.
Benitez told Liverpool's official website that the players he'll bring to Anfield this summer must be winners.
The Spaniard has made it clear that, like just about every Liverpool fan, he wants more than anything to bring the domestic League title back to Anfield. Liverpool hold the record for most English title successes - 18 - but haven't been crowned champions since the 1989-90 season, and have seen arch-rivals Manchester United lift their tally from seven to 17 in the meantime. It means the Reds have never been title winners in the Premiership era.
That glaring omission eats at the soul of every Liverpool fan - and club captain Steven Gerrard is no different. He has stressed that he will consider his career unfulfilled if he cannot count at least one Premier League winner’s medal among his haul by the time he retires from playing.
And Benitez is also clear that winning the League is the one that matters most to him now, having already achieved European glory.
"Winning the title would be the biggest achievement of my career," said the manager. "It's more difficult than in Spain because teams here spend big money.
"But we will do our best. The key for me is not to talk about winning the title but to talk about doing a good job so we can be close, so we can be contenders.
"If we are close I think that we can win the title."
So far only Philipp Degen has been added to the squad at Anfield, though Benitez has several players in his sights. However, he stressed that anyone he brings in must be a winner.
“The key, though, is to sign the right players with the right mentality – a winning mentality – competitive players, players who are desperate to come here to win something,” he told liverpoolfc.tv.
"That is the key for me. We have been analysing a lot of things this summer. For example, we were conceding a lot of goals last season from set pieces.
"We need to know why because the previous season we only conceded six, but this year it has been 16. We need to know why so we can improve in these areas, but keep the team scoring goals in open play.
"We have been really good in defence for three or four years but we need to improve a little bit if we want to be in contention."
Benitez told Liverpool's official website that the players he'll bring to Anfield this summer must be winners.
The Spaniard has made it clear that, like just about every Liverpool fan, he wants more than anything to bring the domestic League title back to Anfield. Liverpool hold the record for most English title successes - 18 - but haven't been crowned champions since the 1989-90 season, and have seen arch-rivals Manchester United lift their tally from seven to 17 in the meantime. It means the Reds have never been title winners in the Premiership era.
That glaring omission eats at the soul of every Liverpool fan - and club captain Steven Gerrard is no different. He has stressed that he will consider his career unfulfilled if he cannot count at least one Premier League winner’s medal among his haul by the time he retires from playing.
And Benitez is also clear that winning the League is the one that matters most to him now, having already achieved European glory.
"Winning the title would be the biggest achievement of my career," said the manager. "It's more difficult than in Spain because teams here spend big money.
"But we will do our best. The key for me is not to talk about winning the title but to talk about doing a good job so we can be close, so we can be contenders.
"If we are close I think that we can win the title."
So far only Philipp Degen has been added to the squad at Anfield, though Benitez has several players in his sights. However, he stressed that anyone he brings in must be a winner.
“The key, though, is to sign the right players with the right mentality – a winning mentality – competitive players, players who are desperate to come here to win something,” he told liverpoolfc.tv.
"That is the key for me. We have been analysing a lot of things this summer. For example, we were conceding a lot of goals last season from set pieces.
"We need to know why because the previous season we only conceded six, but this year it has been 16. We need to know why so we can improve in these areas, but keep the team scoring goals in open play.
"We have been really good in defence for three or four years but we need to improve a little bit if we want to be in contention."
