Despite the pressing reports indicating that Liverpool are pushing to sign Fernando Morientes from Real Madrid and Maurizio Pellegrino from Valencia, Reds' boss Rafael Benitez has refuted claims that he is restricting his transfer activity to Spain.

"No, we are looking for the best players in the continent and all over the world," Benitez replied when that notion was put to him in an interview granted to the Liverpool Supporters Club Malta, before jokingly adding that "if you have someone in Malta, please, tell me!"

Observe Benitez during a Liverpool game and you get the impression of a dour and uncompromising man totally absorbed by the task at hand. Talking to him away from a football pitch, however, leaves a completely different impression as that last comment indicates.

Nevertheless, he is a winner and his track record with Valencia bears testimony to that fact.

Two league titles and a UEFA Cup triumph tells only half the story, as he had to outdo the considerably more affluent Barcelona and Real Madrid along the way. It is that ability to build a strong team without relying on the financial pulling power that reputedly brought him to the attention of the Liverpool board.

With Chelsea and Manchester United being in a league of their own, financially, the Merseyside team needed someone with such a talent.

"We will find the players we need," he says. "The question is to find these players, not to spend more money. You need to know which player you need and then try to get him."

The ultimate aim is that of winning the Premiership title although, unlike his predecessor Gerard Houllier, Benitez is wary of putting any fixed date on when that target will be attained. The only thing that he is willing to promise is of working hard to get to that stage.

"We are working very, very hard with the players and the scouting department," he added.

"We are continuously improving and raising our level. At the end we hope to win something."

In the meantime they're still looking to finish in the top four, the club's stated ambition for this season. As always, Benitez retains a pragmatic attitude.

"In this moment we have always the same idea to be at the end of the season among the top four teams," he said.

"We have to keep focusing on one game at a time. Afterwards, we will see."

The fans at a club with Liverpool's tradition, however, are unlikely to be satisfied by being among the also-rans. Still, so far they seem to be quite pleased with the kind of football the team has been playing.

Benitez, on the other hand, has been more than impressed by the attitude of those fans.

"The supporters are all the time with the team, all the time backing the players. That is very important for the performance of the team."

Their presence was particularly felt during the final game of the Champions League group stage when Liverpool beat Olympiakos 3-1 to make to the last 16. That result kept Liverpool in the hunt in all the competitions with a semi-final looming in the Carling Cup.

Although earlier in the season Benitez claimed that the competition was fourth in their priority, he now feels that "we are in the semi-final and we will try to win the trophy. All the trophies are important for the club."

An added benefit of the competition has been the good performances by the number of young players that Benitez has chosen to field.

"I'm delighted with them because they did very well and they fight very," he says of the likes of Darren Potter, John Welsh, David Raven and Stephen Warnock.

"It is my idea to use all of them in the semi-final because they have done so well."

But, while some, if not all, of these players should establish themselves in the first team in the near future, Benitez is realistic about the possibility of having more local born players in the side.

"It would be the best both for me and for the club but the problem is that sometimes you don't have good enough players. If you want to compete against Chelsea and Manchester United, you have to look for players around the world."

During January, Liverpool will undoubtedly be linked with a number of players from across the globe. Benitez's transfer activity so far has had mixed results but he now has a clearer idea what is needed for a player to succeed in the Premiership.

"The most obvious thing is that the Premiership is more physical. In Spain you see more skilful players but here it is more physical."

Benitez claims that he has got used to living in Merseyside, suggesting recently that he could be there for ten years.

"I am very happy here, my family as well," he said.

"My children have friends in the school and they communicate well. I still have to translate from Spanish to English in my mind but we're very happy at the moment."

Visit to Malta

Despite his positive outlook, it has undeniably been a tough first season for him and even at this stage he could be forgiven for looking forward to a summer break.

And Benitez could well spend part of his summer holidays in Malta following an invitation by the local branch of the Liverpool Supporters Club.

"I've spoken about it to my wife and she said that it is a possibility. We shall see."