Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has insisted that his side are still among the top clubs in the world.
Critics have suggested that the Reds are in danger of becoming a "provincial" club if Raheem Sterling follows Luis Suarez in deciding to leave Anfield.
However, Rodgers is adamant that Liverpool can still attract the world's best players to challenge for the Premier League title in the near future.
He told reporters: "I don't think there's any doubting the Liverpool standing in football and the stature of the club. Of course the competition is much greater now than it's ever been, but we continue our fight to improve and develop. That fight is ongoing.
"The challenge for us will always be to put Liverpool back where we feel the club belongs. To fight at the top end of the table will always be the ambition.
"We'll do everything we can to achieve that. We know the areas we want to improve and next year we'll look to do that. We expect to be competitive. This year, in the league, it's not gone as well as we would like. We've reached a couple of semi-finals, but we want to be better than that and for sure we'll be competitive."
Liverpool end their Premier League season away to Stoke City later today.
Simon Sinclair
