With the Anfield outfit funding a number of big-money signings with the windfall from the sale of Luis Suarez, the manager his dismissed similarities with Spurs and Gareth Bale

Brendan Rodgers insists Liverpool have a strategy in the transfer market and dismissed claims the club are following Tottenham’s example.

Spurs made a host of signings last summer in preparaton for Gareth Bale’s world-record move to Real Madrid but failed to improve in the Premier League, finishing lower down the table despite the investment.

Liverpool find themselves in a similar position this year after Luis Suarez joined Barcelona for €88 million – making six big-money deals – but Rodgers has dismissed comparisons between the two clubs.

“It’s a different club and different vision we have here. At Liverpool there’s a strategy behind what we are doing,” Rodgers told Sky Sports News.

“We talked a lot with our recruitment team last season, knowing that through the summer we needed to improve the depth of our squad.

“Clearly we were not strong enough last season in terms of numbers and quality.

“We always planned to bring in a number of players, hoping we were going to be in the Champions League, so it would give us the opportunity to challenge on all fronts.

“The new players know their roles and we hope they can develop in the future as well. So far, the integration has been smooth.”

The midfielder saw Liverpool lose out on the Premier League title before England were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said he had been through “the worst three months” of his life after slipping in a crucial Premier League loss to Chelsea.

The 2-0 defeat at home in April, followed by a three-goal lead slipping at Crystal Palace, saw Brendan Rodgers’s men finish second to Manchester City in the league after leading with three games to go.

Gerrard’s fateful slip, which led to Demba Ba’s opener at Anfield, was replayed as the moment Liverpool had let what could have been their first league title in 24 years slip.

“I’ve probably been through the worst three months of my life,” Gerrard told reporters.

“There’s nothing else to say is there? If you ask how it’s affected me – it hasn’t. I have football to play in the future so you have to look forward, not back.

“The only time I think about it [is when I’m asked about it by the media]. I appreciate how big it is when you go out of a World Cup, when you fall short, after going so close in the Premier League title race.

“We have to try to win the league, progress in the Champions League. When you’re captain of the team and the group, you can’t afford to be down and feel sorry for yourself or mope around.”

According to Gerrard, what made the incident hurt most was that it was simply a piece of bad luck and his positive impacts far outweighs the mistake against Jose Mourinho’s side.

“That’s why it was cruel. I haven’t made a mistake, I haven’t lost my man at a set piece. I haven’t missed a penalty. I haven’t made a bad pass,” he said.

“Every single person on the planet slips at some point in their life, whether it’s on the stairs, on the floor or whatever. For me, it happened on the pitch at a really bad moment.

“But over the course of 38 games, a lot happens for you and against you and that determines if you win the league or not. But that moment happened at a really crucial time and I have to face that. And I will.”

The Belgian has become the Reds’ sixth summer signing after completing a €12 million move from Lille and his new boss has backed the teenager to “light up world football”

Brendan Rodgers has hailed Divock Origi as “one of the most exciting talents in the world” after the striker finalised his move to Liverpool.

The 19-year-old becomes the club’s sixth summer signing – after Emre Can, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Lazar Markovic – but will be immediately loaned back to former side Lille for the 2014-15 season.

The Belgium international shot to prominence at the World Cup, scoring a decisive goal – his first for his country – against Russia in the group stages and Rodgers has now backed him to “light up world football”.

“For me, he can be one of the most exciting talents in world football. I genuinely believe that,” the Northern Irishman told Liverpool’s official website.

“You see a lot of good players, but this kid – for 19 years of age – he burst onto the scene at the World Cup but we’d tracked him before that.

“He has everything to be world class. He’s super fast, has a wonderful touch, he’s a good size and is aggressive.

“I’ve seen enough of him over the course of the last couple of seasons to think this is a kid who, coming into the right environment, can genuinely be world class. He can light up world football, for sure.”