Liverpool owner defends transfer work

LONDON - Liverpool owner John W Henry has written an open letter to the club’s fans in which he has admitted he was “disappointed” not to add to the squad on transfer deadline day but has defended the club’s summer operations, pinning the blame for financial pressures on “the errors of previous regimes.”Liverpool fans were angered on Friday when the club loaned Andy Carroll to West Ham yet failed to bring in a replacement, with long-term attacking target Clint Dempsey joining Tottenham in a permanent deal.Carroll’s departure left Liverpool with just two senior forwards in Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini, and the club’s frustration deepened on Sunday when they were defeated 2-0 at home by Arsenal to ensure their worst start to a season since 1962-63.“I am as disappointed as anyone connected with Liverpool Football Club that we were unable to add further to our strike force in this summer transfer window,” said Henry in an open letter. “But that was not through any lack of desire or effort on the part of all of those involved.“They pushed hard in the final days of the transfer window on a number of forward targets and it is unfortunate that on this occasion we were unable to conclude acceptable deals to bring those targets in.“But a summer window which brought in three young, but significantly talented starters in Joe Allen, Nuri Sahin and Fabio Borini as well as two exciting young potential stars of the future - Samed Yesil and Oussama Assaidi - could hardly be deemed a failure as we build for the future.”

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Liverpool owner defends transfer work