Gerrard gives the thumbs-up to Benitez’s summer spending spree

SKIPPER Steven Gerrard is confident Rafael Benitez’s summer spending spree will see Liverpool mount a concerted title challenge this season.

Backed by the funds of new owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Benitez has spent a considerable amount of money in bringing Spain striker Fernando Torres, Dutch starlet Ryan Babel and West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun to Anfield over the summer in a bid to bridge the gap to Manchester United and Chelsea.

The Reds have trailed the Premier League’s top two by some distance in the previous two campaigns and, while Gerrard was not naive enough to predict the Merseyside club would end their 18-year wait for England’s top prize by the end of the season, the 27-year-old does not expect a repeat of the last campaign when they finished 21 points behind champions United.