Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has expressed his delight over the club’s spending this summer, saying he feels optimistic about the season ahead.

The Reds have brought in four big name signings in Naby Keita, Fabinho, Alisson and Xherdan Shaqiri this summer, bringing their total spending to around £170m.

The signing of Alisson (£67m) smashed the world record fee paid for a goalkeeper when he signed from Roma, and it was a signing that was much needed at Anfield, with Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet never really nailing down a spot in the first team.

And Carragher believes such a signing has given everyone at the club a huge lift, with the Reds now favourites to challenge City for the Premier League title.

“Everyone’s talking about Liverpool and with good reason,” said the Sky Sports pundit.

“You look at getting to a Champions League final and having Virgil van Dijk for a full season. We’ve seen the impact he made after arriving in January.

“The goalkeeping situation has given everybody a massive lift. What happened in the Champions League final with Loris Karius, yes it was disappointing for the Liverpool supporters on the night losing that game, but we’ve all been there as players where you have a poor game. But it’s happened in a game which will, unfortunately, be remembered for a long time.

“Hopefully he will go on to be a great goalkeeper and be remembered for that but Liverpool had to make a change because I think there would be no belief in Liverpool actually, never mind winning a league but challenging for the league with the two goalkeepers they had.

“Simon Mignolet and Karius are good goalkeepers but not great goalkeepers.

“That’s not to say the guy they have signed is a great goalkeeper. It’s a great price – a world-record price – and when you pay that type of money you are expecting a top goalkeeper, but he will be new to the Premier League so let’s see how he adapts.

“He looks cool and calm on the ball and that’s what Klopp wants from his goalkeeper, but they were areas that had to be rectified and it looks like most of them have been.

“So at this moment, on paper, Liverpool do look the strongest challengers.”