BRENDAN RODGERS believes future transfer windows will prove to be more fruitful for Liverpool after the club’s new scouting team began work this week.

As his side prepare for tonight’s clash at Sunderland, the Anfield boss insists it’s time to draw a line under the disappointment of deadline day which saw the Reds fail to replace Andy Carroll after the owners refused to saction a deal for Clint Dempsey.

Having taken time to assess the list of free agents available, Rodgers has decided there is no-one of sufficient quality to boost his attacking options and he will press on with what he’s got between now and January.

The manager insists his relationship with the owners remains strong and says everyone has learned lessons from the events of the summer. His confidence in the future has been fuelled by the arrival of new head of scouting Dave Fallows and new chief scout Barry Hunter.

The duo were snapped up from Manchester City back in June but only started this week after completing their gardening leave.

“I’ve had long chats with the owners and I’m sure they will have gone away and reflected on things. We learn from that and move on,” said Rodgers.

“We had a manager this summer but we didn’t have a scouting department during the transfer window which made it very difficult.

“Thankfully, those guys have now come in and hopefully they’ll do a terrific job. Operationally these are things we needed to organise and sort out as well as learning from the process.

“It was their first day on Wednesday. They were in bright and early, and they are ready to go. They understand what we’re trying to do here.

“Early in their job here it’s about assessing and speaking with me about what I want. I’ve given them profiles of the types of players that we want.

“Recruitment, though, ultimately comes down to two things: availability and affordability. That’s the nuts and bolts of it.

“We all know who the best players are, but we are trying to find the rough diamonds we can polish up as well as being in the market for the top players.”

Fallows and Hunter weren’t headhunted by Rodgers but the appointments by Fenway Sports Group have his blessing.

“I was fully aware of what was happening – I’ve known Barry for a long time and Dave also,” he said.

“Dave was already in the offing to come here. From his position, he would only accept the job if someone like myself was coming in.

“He was in a good place at Manchester City, he had a good role. Once I’d agreed to come here, only after that did he agree to come.”

The scouts will work closely with Liverpool’s head of analytics Michael Edwards but Rodgers insists suggestions that a technical committee will take power away from the manager are wide of the mark.

Finances may dictate who can and can’t be bought but the Northern Irishman insists he will have the casting vote on signings.

“I don’t need to do everything on my own as the modern day manager can’t do that, but you have the final say on players, there’s absolutely no question about that,” he said.

“If I want a player and we can’t afford it, that’s a different matter. Then it comes back to availability and affordability.

“Every football club has a technical team – let’s not say we are trying to reinvent the wheel here.

“Michael is to oversee the analysis side. When there was a whole restructuring of everything, Michael was a constant here and he had a way in to the owners.

“He works very hard behind the scenes and his job will be to support the scouts in terms of looking into the analysis of players and trying to find out as much about them as we possibly can.

“The job of Barry and Dave and their team is to identify the targets, Michael will then try and find out as much about the player as we possibly can. But that’s no different to numbers of other clubs.

“Summer was always going to be difficult for a number of reasons but already pieces of the jigsaw are starting to slot in, which means the wheels are running a bit more smoothly.”

It’s been a tough start for Rodgers with just a point from Liverpool’s opening three league games ahead of today’s trip to the Stadium of Light.

The rebuilding project he embarked on this summer has left him with a small squad which will need to be bolstered by youngsters from the Academy in order to cope with a gruelling domestic and European schedule.

However, Rodgers refutes suggestions that he has tried to change too much too soon.

“I went into Swansea and in the first year moved on six players and took in 12,” he said.

“In the second year, I moved seven out and took in nine. People wouldn’t think that because of the transition.

“What’s happened here is we have moved some out and probably haven’t got the players in yet that we want to in order to work how we want to work. I’m sure that will come in the future.

“I don’t have any regrets. We are where we are. I always knew the task. I was here because this isn’t an easy job. That was part of why they chose me.

“It was always going to be difficult. I was never going to come in and produce the magic wand and get us playing, all singing and dancing.

“Plenty of people told me not to take this job but more people told me to take it. It was my gut feeling anyway. When Liverpool come knocking it might only be once in your lifetime. History draws players here but it also draws managers.

“I know what I’ve come in for, I wouldn’t change it for any other job. It’s an incredible job and I’m loving every minute of it.”