LIVERPOOL, November 10-Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says that the club’s failure to bring in their desired transfer targets is costing them.
The Reds have made a poor start to the 2014/15 campaign, and find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League standings with just 15 points from their opening 11 matches.
Matters haven’t been much better in European competition, with an early exit from the Champions League beckoning after collecting just three points from the first four rounds of action.
It was always going to prove difficult to replace the Barcelona-bound Luis Suarez, but the task was made even more difficult due to failed bids for Willian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa, and Alexis Sanchez.
Instead, Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Lazar Markovic arrived at Anfield, and the trio have struggled to make an impact thus far.
“We know what targets we wanted but, for one reason or another, they went elsewhere,” Rodgers said after Saturday’s defeat to Chelsea.
“We have signed talented young players. Over their time here, whether it is with me or not, they will show they are very good players.
“We were in a great position at the end of last season. We had Champions League football and a way of working. We just have to work harder and smarter to convince these players to come.”
Rodgers believes that one of the reasons why Liverpool have failed to land some of their bigger targets is that players would prefer to live in London rather than on Merseyside.
“Players look at where they want to live, the social factors as well as the football,” he added.
“If someone gets offered more money to go elsewhere, if they want to go to London, there is not much you can do about it.
“The club has shown its hand that it is prepared to pay the wages for top players. Whether they come is another story.”
