With messrs Gillett and Hicks manning the cashpoint at Anfield, a potential sea change on Merseyside is signalled. A team that in the last 16 years has only found success in cup competitions, albeit including an unforgettable  Champions League triumph in 2005, there is every indication that the cash injection given to manager Rafa Benitez will generate a power shift towards Liverpool.

Thierry Henry's move to Barcelona could be the catalyst for a mid-summer transfer rush and throws up a number of intriguing alternatives. Benitez won't be slow to evaluate the possible off-shoots to Henry's arrival at the Nou Camp. And the immediate thought is: Have Liverpool got the cash and persuasive powers to lure Samuel Eto'o to Anfield?
They are desperate for a top quality striker, having lost old reliable Robbie Fowler and likely to lose Craig Bellamy. Eto'o alongside Peter Crouch has a good, solid ring to it and would certainly be a winner with Liverpool's fans.

Of course, Barcelona aren't exactly overloaded with strikers themselves and if they lose Eidur Gudjohnsen to any one of several Premiership clubs - Manchester United, Aston Villa and Spurs (and Liverpool?) are all sniffing - they may be reluctant to let Eto'o go. But Rafa's shopping list includes a number of alternatives and Athletico Madrid's Fernando Torres is near the top. Any new arrivals, along with the enormous talent already on the books, should add up to a package that could be simply irresistible. Liverpool also have the hunger factor, having been starved of domestic success for so long.

'Benitez has managed to persuade the gems that he does posses to stick around and finish the job. Heaven knows what kind of damage would have been done had Steven Gerrard jumped ship'


And that hunger factor should not be underestimated. It may be a defining part of what may push Liverpool ahead of their opponents. As Chelsea and Manchester United focus their attentions on much needed Champions League success, having already won a host of Premiership medals, Liverpool minds will be firmly on the Premiership having been so far behind (21 points off top last time around) the pack for so long. This is the longest period of time since World War II that Liverpool have gone without lifting the top trophy.

Success in the Premiership, or lack of it, is, in a big way, down to a succession of average managerial appointments and a lack of big money signings, all of which has seen them slip behind United and Chelsea. With Benitez in charge they have a manager who will not simply throw money at the problem but will attempt to pick up the players he needs to complete the re-building process that began when he took over in June 2004.

Benitez has managed to persuade the gems that he does posses to stick around and finish the job. Heaven knows what kind of damage would have been done had Steven Gerrard jumped ship. He must now turn his attention to  convincing any potential signing that Liverpool are now the real deal, a team that has everything in place to mount a serious challenge and that the Reds are about to begin a whole new era, one that will see them cement their place in the rich history of a club well overdue a comeback.

Next season could well mark Liverpool's re-emergence to match their successes of 20 years ago. Under the guidance of Kenny Dalglish they romped to the title. Now a lot will rest on what happens over the next six weeks and who Rafa picks up in the summer sales.

Can Eto'o, Torres, Gerrard and Carragher be the new Rush, Dalglish, Houghton and Hansen?