Rodgers eyes more 'exciting' signings
Brendan Rodgers is confident he can add more talent to his squad in the form of new recruits before the 2013-14 campaign gets underway.
The manager has already swooped to bring four fresh faces to Melwood since the start of the transfer window.
Spaniards Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto arrived alongside stopper Simon Mignolet and experienced centre-back Kolo Toure.
While Rodgers is pleased with the initial business that has been carried out, he insists there is still more work to do in the market.
"Nothing is close but plenty of work is going on," he told the Liverpool Echo.
"How near or far we are, I will find out in Melbourne. There is daily dialogue going on but I am confident that we will get the one or two players who will really excite and complete the jigsaw.
"It was great to make the four signings so early on but we have still got some more work to do to strengthen the team."
The Reds got their pre-season off to a flying start with a commanding 4-0 victory over Preston at Deepdale last weekend.
Earlier this week Rodgers and a strong squad flew out from John Lennon Airport to Jakarta in Indonesia, where the preparations for the new season continue.
And the boss insists he feels much more relaxed now compared to this time last year, when he was a relative newcomer to the Anfield job.
He explained: "I think last year was about finding out about the team, the players that I had and finding out where we needed to strengthen if we were going to go forward.
"It was a case of putting the building blocks in place and just getting to grips with the whole status and size of the club.
"I knew it was a big club and it was a big move. I understood the expectations but you don't fully understand it until you are in pole position.
"Having had one year as working as the manager, I feel I understand the club much better and we are well placed to move forward."
"I've been really enthused by the quality of the work and the mentality of the players during our time here.
"We came out here to step up our preparations and I'm very happy with how things are going."
The boss was also quizzed about the progress being made by Belgian stopper Simon Mignolet, who made his first appearance for the club at Preston - and kept his first clean-sheet.
"Simon Mignolet has been outstanding in his early time here," said Rodgers.
"You watch his game in training and you think that he was named North East Player of the Year.
"You think about the players he was up against, not just goalkeepers like Tim Krul, but outfield players as well.
"He is young and fits the profile that I am looking for. I am not necessarily looking for stars. I am looking for players who are hungry to become stars and he is one of them.
"We are looking for good players. We just need a couple more that can come into the team and give us that quality.
"I am really happy where the squad is at. If we can add just one or two more, we will have a small, tight-knit group that will really be able to push forward from the first whistle next season."