THE question ringing around Anfield this summer is can Rafa Benitez's side break through the glass ceiling and begin to fulfill the ambitions of their fans and the new American owners?

The very fact that the question is being asked is a testimony to the success the Spaniard has enjoyed since arriving from Valencia, but it also illustrates the pressures managers have to cope with. The reward for Benitez's achievements is an upping of the ante. Having taken the club on from the moribund state Gerard Houllier left it in, with a lop-sided squad which promised much but was still a country mile from challenging for the big trophies, Benitez has raised expectations.

Perhaps he would have more room to breathe if he hadn't fashioned two remarkable runs to the final of the Champions League, but having shown his ability to out-fox the likes of Frank Rijkaard, Carlo Ancelotti and, most amusingly, José Mourinho, he must now make the big step up to challenging for the trophy Liverpool fans really hanker after: the Premiership.

Reds fans are rightly proud of their record in the top flight, but painfully aware that they have not won the trophy they considered to be their own for so long since it became the Premiership. With American mega-bucks behind him, Benitez has to deliver now.

Benitez has made no secret of his frustration at being unable to swiftly spend those bucks at the start of the close season. He might have wanted to splash the cash early and get his squad sorted, but that is the sort of luxury only the likes of Brian Carey can achieve!

That's why the protracted transfer saga of Fernando Torres has defined the summer for the Reds, and a positive resolution possibly the most encouraging augury of what is to come. Benitez already has fine attacking options in the form of Dirk Kuit, Craig Bellamy and Peter Crouch, but to augment them with a true leader up front would be a giant step towards stepping the club up another gear.

The gifted Spaniard certainly has the physical wherewithal to be a great success in the Premiership, and his goalscoring record backs that up: 82 goals in 214 appearances for Atletico Madrid, 14 in 40 for Spain including some eye-catching performances at the last World Cup.

Mind you, Andrei Shevchenko isn't the only striker to arrive with a huge reputation only to struggle in the Premiership: Fernando Morientes seemed to have all the necessary attributes required to be a sensation at Anfield, and look at what happened to him!

The acquisition of Torres has been balanced by the loss of a player who has played a major role in Benitez's successes tough. Luis Garcia moved in the opposite direction; the Vicente Calderon will be his home next season. An erratic, sometimes infuriating player, Garcia's decision-making can be called into question, and he often squandered possession with careless abandon, looking to achieve the impossible with an audacious flick.

However, his opportunistic stunts sometimes came off, particularly in Europe; his goals against Juventus and Chelsea on the way to winning the Champions League in 2005 assure him of an elevated place in Anfield folklore, and Liverpool is a club that does history right.

Garcia was quick to pay tribute to the club he was leaving, telling Liverpool's official website: "It was a difficult decision because it hurts to be leaving one of the most important clubs in the world, and a club with one of the best sets of fans.

"I have enjoyed three great years there. There are several different reasons and the decision took a lot of thought, but Liverpool will always be with me because they always treated me very well.

"I have been lucky to win things there, but I did not want to let the opportunity pass to win trophies in Spain."

Other expected outgoings include Djibril Cissé, Liverpool's record signing until Torres arrived, who has been pursued by Marseilles since completing a successful loan spell at the Velodrome, while legendary striker Robbie Fowler has been released after his second spell at the club. Meanwhile, promising youngster Danny Guthrie has made an interesting loan move to Bolton Wanderers.

On the way in, apart from Torres, have been a series of promising youngsters, signed with the future in mind. Bulgarian under-21 goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov has arrived from Levski Sofia, although he will have to wait his turn behind Pepe Reina and Scott Carson, the latter who enjoyed an impressive loan season at Charlton followed by a strong showing in the European Under-21 Champonship.

Also arriving are a pair of Hungarian strikers from MTK Hungaria, Krisztian Nemeth and Andras Simon, who starred for their country in last year's UEFA under-17 Championships.

A signature which seems to have slipped under the radar has been the arrival of Andriy Voronin from Bayer Leverkusen. The deal was done during last season, and the striker has consistently shown his quality in the Bundesliga; with lower expectations than there ought to be upon him due a combination of the low-key timing of his transfer and a general ignorance of German football on these shores, he might well turn out to be a success few pundits saw coming.

If Benitez also manages to sign Gabriel Heinze, he will certainly have added further steel, experience and pedigree to his squad, although the Liverpool Echo claim United are "horrified" by the prospect of their arch-rivals signing the full back and determined to stymie the first transfer between the two clubs since 1964.

With the pursuit of Lyon's Florent Malouda seeming likely to be frustrated by Chelsea, it is clear that Benitez's increased purchasing power does not guarantee that he will always get his man.

However, with pockets as deep as his, he will not be denied for long. With more signings in the offing and a solid foundation already in place from two runs to the Champions League final, Benitez has every chance of taking Liverpool up to the level Chelsea and Manchester United inhabited last season.

Mark Griffiths