Brendan Rodgers says he will not break the bank to make Liverpool competitive at the top of the Premier League again.
It is less than two years since Liverpool almost entered administration as the era of Tom Hicks and George Gillett came to an end, and Rodgers is determined that the club will not find itself in that same position again.
Rangers are the most high-profile club to suffer financial meltdown, demoted to the Scottish Third Division, while Portsmouth's future is not yet assured after overspending in the Premier League.
"This is Liverpool Football Club and it's incredible to think it came close to bankruptcy," Rodgers said. "You may think it'll never happen to your club but who'd have thought it could to a team like Rangers?
"But if football continues to pay the wages some clubs do, you will be asking for it. If you believe it can't happen, well it can, maybe not now but certainly later. Look at Rangers' history. That is a warning for everyone.
"In professional and social life, I like to get value, that's just my nature and my upbringing. I won't pay anything at all costs. If there is a player who can make a difference, we'll do all we can to get him. What I'm not prepared to do is waste time, money and effort for anyone who won't add value. I prefer the hungry player, one who wants to succeed.
"They will earn good money - and they will get their value and worth if they perform."
Rodgers also insisted the club does not have to look to the big clubs for new signings.
"There's sometimes a snobbery towards players at a lesser club, an ignorance," he added. "If you look at our squad, there aren't too many who have dropped from heaven. A lot have come through lower clubs, made their way and are now making their name at Liverpool.
"The club's history is about hungry players, coming from the lower leagues and working their way up. Talent aligned with hard work takes you a long way. I find it difficult to work with players who don't share and match that."
