John W Henry claims he was shocked by how poor Liverpool’s squad was when he bought the club last year.
But the man at the Anfield helm has promised fans their long wait for a title will soon end - and that others will follow.
In a damning indictment of previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett and former boss Rafa Benitez, Henry says he was staggered by the lack of depth in such an expensive squad.
Liverpool were particularly weak up front and Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog were the only recognised back-up for Fernando Torres.
Despite this imbalance, the Reds still had one of the heftiest wage bills in the Premier League and Henry is determined to reshape the squad to deliver better value for money.
“The worst surprise was the lack of depth in the squad,†said the American.
“Our biggest concern in taking on this responsibility was this issue and it was a bigger issue than we feared.
“There was a huge multi-year payroll for a squad that had very little quality depth.â€
Henry began his restructuring work in January by selling the unsettled Torres and Ryan Babel and using the cash to sign Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll and he is determined to make Liverpool great again.
In a season when Manchester United are set to overtake Liverpool’s long-standing record of 18 championships, he vowed to strike back and deliver the club’s first title success since 1990.
“Our No 1 priority is to win the Premier League title,†he said.
“That’s what we take with us each day to work as the force that drives us to excel.
“If we can accomplish that, we will have put ourselves in a position to be successful on all fronts, including Europe.
“Success is winning championships. It’s nothing less than that and when you win a championship - and we will - success isn’t measured or ccomplished by winning once.â€
But the man at the Anfield helm has promised fans their long wait for a title will soon end - and that others will follow.
In a damning indictment of previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett and former boss Rafa Benitez, Henry says he was staggered by the lack of depth in such an expensive squad.
Liverpool were particularly weak up front and Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog were the only recognised back-up for Fernando Torres.
Despite this imbalance, the Reds still had one of the heftiest wage bills in the Premier League and Henry is determined to reshape the squad to deliver better value for money.
“The worst surprise was the lack of depth in the squad,†said the American.
“Our biggest concern in taking on this responsibility was this issue and it was a bigger issue than we feared.
“There was a huge multi-year payroll for a squad that had very little quality depth.â€
Henry began his restructuring work in January by selling the unsettled Torres and Ryan Babel and using the cash to sign Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll and he is determined to make Liverpool great again.
In a season when Manchester United are set to overtake Liverpool’s long-standing record of 18 championships, he vowed to strike back and deliver the club’s first title success since 1990.
“Our No 1 priority is to win the Premier League title,†he said.
“That’s what we take with us each day to work as the force that drives us to excel.
“If we can accomplish that, we will have put ourselves in a position to be successful on all fronts, including Europe.
“Success is winning championships. It’s nothing less than that and when you win a championship - and we will - success isn’t measured or ccomplished by winning once.â€
