Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has praised the performance of manager Brendan Rodgers in his first season in charge of the Merseyside club.

The Reds may have endured a difficult first half of the season but there were signs of improvement from January and they eventually finished seventh in the league - one place higher than the previous season.

Liverpool began to find more consistency in the second half of the season, with the additions of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge making a huge impact.

Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to strengthen his squad this summer in order to compete for a top four finish. [Reuters]

Fans will be keen to see more players arrive of the same quality and it seems from the comments of Werner that the Fenway Sports Group will back Rodgers in the summer transfer window.

"I think Brendan has made remarkable progress," Werner told the Liverpool Echo. "He's a great strategist and has shown strong leadership as he has led the team through this season.

"Obviously there is disappointment that we didn't finish higher in the table but the team has certainly improved as the season has gone on.

"To see the new additions in January, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho, perform so well has been very positive to see.

"We scored a lot more goals than last season. The 38 away league goals was the club's highest number in a league season since 1990. The club is definitely moving in the right direction under Brendan.

"Our intention is to strengthen the squad further this summer and as owners we're very optimistic and excited about the future."

Liverpool have been linked with a host of players in recent weeks and it seems a defender is high on the list after the retirement of Jamie Carragher. In the past few days Manchester City defender Kolo Toure, Sporting Lisbon's Tiago Illori and Greek powerhouse Kyriakos Papadopoulous have all been mentioned as possible targets.

With Rodgers receiving backing from the club's owners then it is likely that a number of signings will make the move to Anfield as the club look to challenge for a place in the top four next season.