Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson denies they were beaten by Tottenham for Rafael van der Vaart.
With the ownership issue set to be resolved by January, Hodgson can expect funds to splash should he feel the need.
The Kop boss is poised to give debuts to new boys Paul Konchesky and Raul Meireles at Birmingham tomorrow.
And Hodgson has insisted that he was NEVER in the race to sign Van der Vaart, despite the Dutchman's claims that he chose Tottenham over Liverpool.
He insisted: "I apologise if Van der Vaart's agent gave him another story.
"I made it clear we had players in his position and don't know quite where the story came from that we wanted to sign him."
