From Liverpool Official Magazine:

Manager Gerard Houllier points to 12 million reasons why his decision to sign foreigners during the close season has not taken the British heart out of Liverpool.

The Anfield boss has been criticised for the captures of Vladimir Smicer, Stephane Hanchoz, Titi Camara, Sami Hyppia, Sander Westerveld and Dietmar Hamann. The critics insist he should be buying British.

But Houllier refutes the suggestion and points to one major signing the club announced last season.

"We spent 12 million pounds on our youth acedemy," he explains, "and I'm sure that it will prove to be a very sound investment.

"We want local players in our team and through the acedemy we will get that. Last season both Steve Wright and Steven Gerrard graduated through the system into the first team squad. There will be more to follow.

"It so happens that this summer we have signed a lot of foreign players, but that was not a policy decision. In fact, we made significant bids for several English players, but were told on each occasion that either the player was not available or that the price was too high as far as we were concerned.

"People overlook the fact that we have a lot of English players in our side. Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Redknapp, Jamie Carragher and Dominic Matteo are all top players and will have a big part to play this season.

"I'm very happy with the players we have signed and I now believe we have quality competition for places all over the field. That is so important in a long, hard season like the Premiership."

Houllier accepts that it may take some time for the new signings to adjust to the demands of the English game but he's confident that they will prove to be quality additions.

He adds: "The important thing form my point of view is that every one of our new players wants to play for Liverpool. Two of them actually turned down the chance of Champion's League football to come and that says a lot.

"We watched a lot of players over recent months and we have made our judgements. Many of the players, like Vladimir Smicer and Titi Camara, I have known for some time through my years in France.

"Others have been recommended to us and we have taken a lot of time to watch them in action whenever possible. I'm sure the fans will soon see that we have signed first-class players who can help us imrpove as a team."

Despite Houllier's delight with his summer shopping, he's not prepared to predict just how far his new-look team will go.

"We need to get some games under our belts and see how the league is taking shape. It will obviously be another tough season because there are so many good teams in the Premiership. It's hard to say how well we will do, but all I can say is that we have quality players who are capable of achieving results."

Houllier also had another important decision to make - who to appoint following the departure of Paul Ince.

"It was an easy choice to make in the end," he says. "Jamie Redknapp is a model professional who is a great influence to all those around him. He works hard and is a really nice person as well.

I was impressed with the way he helped the new lads settle in as soon as possible after they arrived and, of course, he's respected by everybody. He's also one of our best players and he's been here a long time. He's definitely the right person to wear the captain's armband."

Houllier's decision to part with Paul Ince was one of the surprises of the summer. He explains: "I had a few meetings with Paul and I told him how I felt about things. I explained that he wasn't going to be part of my plans for the season and he understood that. He's a professional and he took in the manner I would have expected.

"He's still a quality player and I see no reason why he can't force his way back into the England squad but I thought it was time for a change. I know what I'm doing here and I know the direction the club is heading. Paul was not going to be involved so I felt it best to tell him so that he could start looking elsewhere."

This is a big season for Houllier with his own team rather than the one he inherited when arriving at the club. He knows the expectations are high, but he also believes he has the squad who can fulfil the dreams of supporters all over the world.

"I'm happy with this squad and I have total belief that they can perform. Last season we were careless at the back and we have moved to shore up the defence which was important. We were rarely short of goals, but when Michael and Robbie picked up injuries we were short on personenel, although Karlheinz Riedle played really well in the final weeks.

"We now have several players pushing for places in each position and any manager will tell you that he prefers to have selection problems than to be forced to pick from a small squad.

"We want to put this football club back towards the top again. It can be done and over the coming months I hope the fans can support us as magnificently as they have done over the years. With their help we really can have a good season."

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