THEY have found the manager and they expect to retain the captain who can lead them to further glories, but Liverpool are still searching for the investor who can help them to sustain Wednesday night’s remarkable success. David Moores said yesterday that he planned to stay on as chairman but, while his popularity will have reached a new peak this week, his reluctance to weaken his position as majority shareholder may make it harder for the club to attract the big funds to help them to challenge Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Winning the European Cup has been hugely beneficial to the club’s prestige and finances but it has not solved long-term problems; most notably how to fund the construction of a new stadium to replace the 44,000-capacity Anfield. And although Rafael Benítez, the manager, is expected to spend at least £20 million this summer after the lucrative run to Istanbul, he talked of his frustration at operating in an inflated English market in which Chelsea can outmuscle any of their rivals.

Shaun Wright-Phillips has attracted Liverpool’s attention but a fee of at least £12 million for the Manchester City winger is thought to have put them off. Instead, they are reported to be interested in Luciano Galletti from Real Zaragoza for a quarter of that price, which reflects Benítez’s trust in players from La Liga but also a need to find value for money.

Rick Parry, the chief executive, has spent more than a year attempting to attract investment but, although there has been interest from various quarters, including a Hollywood mogul, the Thai Prime Minister and unknown parties in the Middle East, nothing has come to fruition. Steve Morgan, a Liverpool fan and construction millionaire, made several offers last year in a protracted, and acrimonious, attempt to replace Moores.

Chairman since 1991 — during which time the club have failed to win the title — Moores admitted yesterday that he had come close to stepping down but he has seen off Morgan, whom he accused of undervaluing the club, and the triumph in Istanbul has made him even more determined to carry on.

“Everyone has difficult times and you just have to believe you are right and battle on,” Moores said. “This club means the world to me and I’m not going to let it go easily. I admit the pressure was telling on me. I’m still in a difficult situation but my wife has said to me ‘What else would you do? This is your life.’ It is.

“The pressure was enormous and I did consider my position. But while I have the support of the fans I will continue. People know my love for this club. We don’t want this to be the end of anything, just the start.”

Benítez and his employers expect to close the gap on their rivals next season by purging the squad of unwanted players such as Milan Baros and Jerzy Dudek and bringing in as many as six new signings. Parry believes that the victory over AC Milan has eased the job of attracting new recruits.

“Being European champions will help enormously in persuading new players to come and there is no way that we will be resting on our laurels,” he said. “There is rebuilding to do as, however magnificent it was to beat Milan, it doesn’t take away from the fact that we fell short in the Premier League. It’s a real priority for us to get that right. We’ve got a plan and we’re working on it. There’s a very long list of players that we’re refining downwards.”

Benítez is already close to his first signing of the summer, José Reina, the Villarreal goalkeeper, and Moores expects the Spaniard to build a team capable of winning the championship despite trailing José Mourinho’s Chelsea by 37 points this season.

“The European Cup is the one you want and you don’t beat this,” Moores said. “But we will win the Premiership too. Rafa is the man to do that. We have heard about The Special One, but what about Rafa? After his substitution at half-time, he must be a magician. He is a master tactician and the thing about him is he has a feel for the club.

“To win the European Cup in his first season, he is up there already with the greats — Shankly, Paisley, Dalglish — in my view. It was a huge coup for the club to get him last summer and I expect him to stay for many, many years. This is where he belongs.”