The time for talking is over. Now Rafael Benitez is demanding Liverpool's new owners urgently fulfil a £100m promise to back their manager in the transfer market.

George Gillett and Tom Hicks have played an astute public relations game since their £450m buyout at Anfield in February.

The American duo have made all the right noises about restoring Liverpool to the pinnacle of the English game.

Benitez has accepted the pledges at face value. But, in the aftermath of last night's Champions League final defeat to AC Milan, the Spaniard has laid bare the stark reality of the situation Liverpool find themselves in.

And, if Gillett and Hicks are really intent on ensuring the Merseyside giants' league title drought does not extend beyond 18 years, Benitez wants money, lots of it - and he needs it now.

''Sometimes, when you are in another country or another continent, you don't know how important this time is,'' he said.

''The owners have said they will back me and we are really excited about the future. But it is okay to talk, we need to change things now.

''The top sides have been spending £50m or more over the last five or 10 years. Manchester United just won the league and finished 21 points in front of us. They are paying £20m for a new midfield player in Owen Hargreaves. We have been spending £9m on a striker. That is a big difference.

''We cannot reduce the gap if we spend almost the same amount, or do almost the same things.

''If people think it is enough, fine - but next season all we will be fighting for is to get into the top four.''

Gillett and Hicks do not have to look back too far to work out what is likely to happen if Benitez does not get his way.

The 47-year-old may appear jovial and relaxed but underneath the pleasant exterior beats the heart of an ultra-ambitious man who quit Valencia for Liverpool three years ago because the Spanish outfit refused to meet his demands and has already rejected overtures from his beloved Real Madrid on three separate occasions.

On his arrival at Anfield, Benitez famously declared he asked the Valencia board for a coffee table and was given a table lamp instead. And he has still not forgotten.

''We won the league with Valencia for the first time in 31 years,'' he recalled. ''Afterwards, everyone said 'fantastic, we are so good we do not need to spend any money'. The following season we finished fifth.

''With Liverpool, we have won the FA Cup, the Super Cup, the Community Shield and the Champions League and reached another final.

''But if we do not spend money now, we will continue to lose games because we do not have enough quality and eventually finish 20 points behind United, Chelsea and Arsenal.''

With Bolo Zenden, Mark Gonzalez and - possibly - Craig Bellamy among those on their way out, the decks are being cleared for a huge influx of new players.

The number of potential signings is wide-ranging. The defence and midfield will be tinkered with, while at least two new strikers can be expected given Liverpool's season-long difficulties in front of goal, which proved so costly in the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.

David Villa, Samuel Eto'o, Darren Bent and Carlos Tevez could all appear on Benitez's radar.