THE week had been going so well for Liverpool. Before Luis Suarez expressed his discontent with life in England and cast admiring glances in the direction of Real Madrid, the focus had been on Anfield’s new arrivals.

Brendan Rodgers had vowed that the Reds would be ready for the onset of the summer transfer window and the manager has been true to his word with business getting done early.

Having secured the services of centre-back Kolo Toure on a free transfer from Manchester City, Liverpool moved swiftly to agree a £7.7million fee with Celta Vigo for forward Iago Aspas.

The 25-year-old Spaniard, who will play his final La Liga game for relegation-threatened Celta in their must-win clash at home to Espanyol today, is expected to fly to Merseyside next week to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical.

Kop legend John Aldridge believes valuable lessons have been learned following the club’s failings in the transfer market last summer.

“It’s a case of once bitten, twice shy,” Aldridge said.

“What happened last year with Andy Carroll leaving on loan to West Ham so late in the window and not signing a replacement cost us massively. Until January we were so short on strikers and that wrecked any hopes of competing for a Champions League place.

“Obviously, since then the club has put a new scouting network in place and you can see the benefits of that already. It’s great to see the club moving fast to complete the deals they want.

“You can’t be leaving your business until after the new season has already started. You want everyone together for the start of pre-season.”

Toure, who will officially become a Liverpool player on July 1, has agreed a two-year contract.

The 32-year-old boasts 11 years of Premier League experience and has tasted title success with both Arsenal and Manchester City.

He has been brought in as a squad player with Schalke’s Kyriakos Papadopoulos still Rodgers’ No 1 defensive target.

Liverpool’s record with free transfers is mixed with the success of Gary McAllister and Markus Babbel contrasting with the efforts of flops like Philipp Degen and Joe Cole.

However, Aldridge is confident the centre-back will prove to be a useful acquisition.

“Toure may only be a stop-gap but it’s a smart move by the club,” he said.

“We’ve got a very young team and everyone can see that we needed more experience.

“Jamie Carragher is irreplaceable but at least with Toure we have signed a defender who knows the Premier League inside out.

“Our young players will learn a lot from working with someone like him. He reads the game really well and knows what it’s all about.

“He’s 32 but he’s still got a couple of years at the highest level left in him.

“The other thing is that if you look at his CV, he’s a winner. He has captained the teams he has played for and will be a voice in the dressing room. He know what it takes to win and will have an impact on the players around him.

“We’ve seen from past windows that the owners want to invest in youth and seem to be reluctant to pay top money for older players.

“But in Toure Liverpool have been able to sign an experienced defender for nothing. It’s certainly not a gamble.”

Aspas, who has netted 12 goals and provided six assists in 33 appearances for Celta Vigo this season, is a versatile forward who can lead the line, play as a second striker or in a wider role.

“I haven’t seen enough of Aspas to really comment on him but his record for a side near the bottom of the table is very decent,” Aldridge added.

“I’ve always said we needed another striking option regardless of whether Luis Suarez stays or goes.”

Aspas has been bought to play with Suarez but the chances of them ever lining up alongside each other are fading fast.

In interviews in South America, where he is preparing for Uruguay’s friendly against France next Wednesday, Suarez has said he would welcome a move away because his family have “suffered” due to his “harassment” at the hands of the English media.

Despite Liverpool’s continued insistence he is not for sale, Aldridge fears Suarez’s Anfield career is reaching its conclusion.

“It does look ominous,” he said.

“I became worried when Suarez brought his family into the equation. That’s like playing your ‘get out of jail free’ card.

“If he’s saying his family aren’t happy then there’s nothing you can do about it.

“It’s rubbish to blame the press and I’d rather he was just honest about it.

“If he just came out and said he wants Champions League football next season then I think people would be more understanding.

“My grandson noticed that there isn’t a picture of Suarez promoting the new kit outside Anfield. They are using Steven Gerrard, Daniel Sturridge and Glen Johnson instead. He didn’t want Suarez No 7 on the back because even he thinks he’s leaving!

“The club and the fans have stuck by him through thick and thin, and I think we deserve another season out of him. But players are so powerful these days that if someone wants to leave then they will.”

If Suarez submits a transfer request and Liverpool reluctantly agree to sell then Aldridge believes his world class talents should command a fee in excess of the £50million they received from Chelsea for Fernando Torres in 2011.

“We can’t let him go for less than we got for Torres,” Aldridge said.

“£50million plus £1 would be my starting point for negotiations. Their goals to games ratio is very similar but Suarez is a more complete striker and would be a huge loss to Liverpool. If he goes then we have to get top money for him."