As ever, though the season is still over three weeks away, Liverpool's chances of top four have already been dismissed, due to their transfer window that has been perceived largely as "average." 

Despite having spent near £80 million with more set to follow, the absence of a "world class" signing after Luis Suárez left for the shores of Spain, has left Reds feeling pessimistic about the upcoming season. But has the club's transfer business been all doom and gloom this summer? or are fans overreacting?

So far, Brendan Rodgers has secured five new arrivals. Three of those have come from the South Coast, with Dejan Lovren yesterday being confirmed as the third summer signing from Southampton. He follows Rickie Lambert and former Saints skipper Adam Lallana in moving to Merseyside, and in addition Liverpool have also acquired promising young talents in the form of German midfielder Emre Can and promising winger Lazar Marković from Benfica. 

Liverpool have been heavily chastisised this summer, having let go of their star striker and failed to convince Alexis Sánchez to help fill the attacking void left by Suárez' departure. Instead, Sánchez went to Arsenal, who have since also added depth at right-back in Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy, whilst also boosting their quality in between the sticks with the purchase of David Ospina. The Gunners also look close to signing a DM, perhaps one of Morgan Schneiderlin or Sami Khedira and could even go in for a forward. Being one of their biggest rivals for the top four, many fans are disappointed to see Arsenal strengthening in all the right areas whilst Liverpool have added only one defender to a shaky back-line so far. Is the criticism warranted?

Largely, no. Some have complained about Suárez leaving, however in truth it was always likely the Uruguayan would secure a "dream move" to Barcelona and there was virtually nothing Liverpool could do about it, bar push for as high a bid they could. Following the forward's bite on Giorgio Chiellini, Real Madrid left the apparent bidding war for Suárez, meaning Barça could secure the striker for as little as his release clause - £75 million. There wasn't much he could do, and the way he's gone about trying to replace him has been right.

Sure, so Sánchez may have opted for the London club, which is speculated to be because his family were more comfortable living in the capital as opposed to on Merseyside, but the signing of Marković is a fantastic addition, and one that has gone underappreciated. After Raheem Sterling's stand-out season last year, Marković possesses many of the same attributes of the England international and the prospect of the two on either flank, supporting Daniel Sturridge in a front three, is one plentiful of pace, flair and most importantly, youth. At just 20-years-old, Marković is very raw, but Brendan Rodgers has shown himself just the man to help realise a youth player's potential, and if he can do that with the young Serbian winger, Liverpool could have a gem at their hands. Sure, £19.8 million (or £20 million, if you're rounding up) sounds pricey for such a young prospect, but in an impressive Benfica team he was highly regarded as a fantastic talent. 

Rickie Lambert too, was a good buy for the club. For such a low fee and low wages, Lambert will do the club no harm whatsoever by waiting in the wings and being able to fill in for Sturridge when necessary. A local lad, the 32-year-old will be eager to prove what it takes, and he's not exactly the 'Plan B' some people perceive him to be. Lambert is excellent technically, as well as being strong in the air. He can deliver a ball superbly from set-pieces, and has 28 goals and 15 assists in just two Premier League seasons. He'll be a squad player at best, unless a severe case of injuries should strike, which makes it good business. As long as Liverpool can bring in another striker, so that Lambert is perhaps 3rd choice, then it will be a good deal for an established player.

That, up until yesterday, had been the plan. French forward Loïc Rémy seemed all but set to become a Liverpool player, with reliable journalists claiming only paperwork needed to be finalised before he could be unveiled. However, the truth was very much different. An £8.5 million deal with £80,000-a-week sounded all well and good for a potent forward that would suit the system, but the 27-year-old's medical revealed a heart defect. After receiving outside advice, Liverpool opted not to take the gamble and the deal fell through. It was disappointing, as Rémy would be certainly good enough back-up for Sturridge, but could arguably also partner him too. At such a small price tag, it seemed too good to be true and inevitably, it proved to be just that. Now, Rodgers will have to pursue other targets and with Wilfried Bony looking unlikely, after Liverpool angered Swansea in their pursuit for Ben Davies, who knows who the Reds could go for? 

Liverpool have been accused of "doing a Spurs." That basically entails selling your best player and replacing him with a number of lesser players, or 'selling an iPhone and buying a phone, a pager, a fax machine, a camera and a pen to replace it' as someone mocked on Twitter. Once Tottenham sold star man Gareth Bale for £85 million, their performances took a drastic turn for the worse and despite spending over £100 million on various replacements, their season was largely a poor one. Still, they only dropped three points from the stellar 2012-13 season in which Bale lit up the Premier League, and so is "doing a Spurs" really as bad as people make out? No-one can say whether they will, or they won't, because who knows what will happen in the future, but the difference is that Liverpool are on a much clearer path under Brendan Rodgers. 

Another summer buy, Emre Can, is good evidence of this. Once of Bayern Munich, Liverpool's new no.23 is a very highly-rated youngster in his homeland. When your homeland's Germany, and the likes of Mario Götze are only two years older than you, that's good going. A box-to-box midfielder, Can boasts all the qualities that could see him settle seamlessly in England. Strength, skill, composure, vision, defensive nous and versatility. At just £10 million, Can is the best bet to be the one to fulfil his value of this summer's signings. With Steven Gerrard's involvement likely to decline progressively, Can could slowly become the defensive anchor of the Liverpool team. The 20-year-old's physicality means he is more than prepared, and he could add an extra dimension in the midfield, going both forwards and backwards. 

A second midfielder brought in by Rodgers is Adam Lallana, who despite the price, is actually quite a strong signing. Southampton were a wonderful side to look last season and central to that was skipper Lallana, who was the beacon of a fantastic team under Pochettino. The sticking point is the fee. £16 million and add-ons, or £25 million when it's all said and done, is quite extortionate in the opinions of some given he's 26-years-old. Yet, they're the same fans that would be pleading for more experience had the club opted to find another youthful playmaker instead. Truth is, Lallana will provide great competition for Coutinho, or he could even compliment the Brazilian if utilised together. Lallana's elegance and hard work ethic means he'll fit well into Rodgers' set-up. Not only will he take the creative license off of Coutinho's shoulders, but he'll instantly aid the high-pressing that the Ulsterman has incorporated into his side within the last 12 months. Sure, Liverpool overpaid a bit for Lallana, but that's not to say he won't be a good signing. He adds depth in a key area, can play across a variety of positions, is an exciting and entertaining footballer and he was Rodgers' no.1 target this summer, regardless of the Suárez situation. Could he have looked elsewhere for similar players? Yes, and many will remind Liverpool fans of that throughout the course of the season if he doesn't hit the ground running, but the 26-year-old is a promising signing.

Last but by no means least, is Liverpool's latest arrival, again from Southampton, Dejan Lovren. It goes without saying that the defence was abysmal last season, and the major reason as to why the Reds didn't win the title. Therefore, Rodgers knew he would have to improve upon that, especially if Liverpool are to cope without Suárez' goals further forward, i.e. - if you don't score as many, just make sure you don't concede as many. However, Lovren has received mixed views. A commanding figure, Lovren has been brought in to replace the leadership lacking since the loss of centre-back everpresent Jamie Carragher. The Croatian was at the heart of a solid Saints back-line last season, and is a good candidate to partner Mamadou Sakho as a right centre-back. Again though, the sticking point with Lovren is his price. Southampton bought him from Lyon last summer for just £8.5 million and back then Liverpool were also interested, and could have got him for half the £20 million they paid recently. Still, if Lovren can command the defence in a Carragher-esque fashion, he'll be well on his way to living up to that fee. The defender is certainly happy to be at Anfield, but some have questioned as to whether Liverpool should have gone for a born and bred RCB instead. It's a good question and whether Lovren is the right man at that price, no-one knows. After all, Rodgers (or was it the committee?) spent less on Sakho, a defender hailed as future French national team captain. 

In fact, when you look at each signing the club have made - not a single one is actually as bad as people make out. If the fees seem high, then it's likely because the player's wages are low. Therefore, though Lallana may have cost £25 million in transfer fees, on £60,000-a-week he would cost less than a "top bracket" centre attacking midfielder other fans have been clamouring for. The thing that's bothering Liverpool fans though, is that their rivals seem to be making strides in the market. Arsenal, as aforementioned, have had a wonderful window, whilst Manchester United have improved in places through the purchases of Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera, whilst also pursuing the likes of Arturo Vidal. Chelsea have become title favourite with their exquisite business, buying Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Filipe Luis all for £75 million. Manchester City too, look like acquiring a top talent in Eliaquim Mangala having already boosted their defensive midfield ranks with Fernando. Even Spurs, have rejuvenated Erik Lamela, look like acquiring Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez and have replaced Gylfi Sigurdsson with Ben Davies and Michel Vorm. In comparison, Liverpool's signings have been adjudged "average." £50 million on three players from a 7th placed Southampton side, and two other signings who are only both 20-years-old has seen their window branded as nothing outstanding. Yet, it never was going to be. 

Regardless of the influx of cash from Barcelona, Livrpool's sole priority looked to be beefing up the squad to prepare for Champions League football, meaning they will be fighting on four fronts throughout 2014-15, and they've done just that. All of the players increase the general quality of the current squad, and provide strong competition, which will only serve to benefit Brendan Rodgers. yet, the absence of a "world class" players (one of the best in their position in world football) has put a downer on proceedings. The Reds seem to have some obsession with Marco Reus, incessantly commenting just the Borussia Dortmund winger's last name on the club's Instagram uploads. However, as brutal as it may seem - it's just not going to happen. Why? Because, though last season's success has been attributed to Suárez and Suárez alone by rival fans, it was infact due to the harmony and chemistry in the squad. You could see it every time they scored, everyone huddled together and celebrated as one. It was a unit. A team effort. All for one and one for all. Whereas, bringing in someone like Reus on double the wages, would likely upset that. The need for a 'marquee signing' or else it's all over is the same situation that Liverpool found themselves in needing a defensive midfielder in January. They didn't bring one in, and yet enjoyed arguably their best Premier League season ever. 

Still, there's over a month remaining yet and there's a number of other signings rumoured to be in the pipeline, particularly at full-back. Perhaps the weakest position in the entire squad, Rodgers needs to find a new starting right-back and left-back in order to build upon, or at least try and match, the success of 2013-14. Javier Manquillo and Alberto Moreno are popular candidates, but the amount of medicals the latter has had according to Twitter sources, he's been to Melwood on almost a dozen separate occasions supposedly. Both transfers, admittedly, could happen, with Manquillo rumoured to be close to a two season-long loan and Moreno still subject of heavy interest. Their arrivals would greatly improve the Reds depth and starting line-up after Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan were the starters for much of the last campaign. It would do Rodgers and co. no harm to have two marauding young Spanish full-backs to boost the attack, and the defence, but both transfer's are still a fair way off completion and so Liverpool fans should stay reserved in their assumption that they will be signing without an issue. 

In terms of how good the window has been so far, well, it's been a damn sight better than the club's previous windows. They look to have a real competitive squad for the first time in a long time, and they've added to a bench that was threadbare last season, whilst also showed initiative to sell the deadwood still at Anfield. There's more yet to come, and there's a lot left to do until it's a squad that looks claiming European qualification again. Nevertheless, it's not half as bad as some fans would have you believe. 

Liverpool haven't collapsed just yet, and Brendan Rodgers won't be keen on seeing all his hard work go to waste. He's brought in a mix of Premier League proven players and exciting young stars, and the Luis Suárez-less Reds will be just as good to look as last season. Have a little patience, trust in Brendan Rodgers. After all, just look at how many Arsenal fans wanted Arsène Wenger out not so long ago. 

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About the author
Charlie Malam
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.