Liverpool chief Ian Ayre insists their £12 million deal for former Chelsea striker Danny Sturridge was good business.

Ayre claims the 23-year-old's transfer represents better value than Tottenham's Clint Dempsey did even at double the fee.

"The issue came down to a particular deal and a particular price or structure to that deal," said Ayre. "And it wasn't right to do it.

"Likewise, the interest in certain other players wasn't right. Sometimes you have to be stronger for the greater good.

"People may feel they want to criticise the fact we didn't have an additional striker. But at what price would you sacrifice spending on something that is not in the long-term interests of the club versus what we just did, which was getting a great price on a great player in Daniel Sturridge?

"If we had spent that money in the summer, then we wouldn't have done that trade recently.

"It may have left us short, but the pieces just did not come together. We've come through that period now and I still feel it was the right decision."