Aside from their 2013/14 season, Liverpool’s showings have been much of a muchness for last few years.

Arguments about the ‘size’ of a club are tedious and limited to fans who are specialising in oneupmanship, but unfortunately it’s a debate that will never end. It might not really matter to many, and is hugely subjective, but to players and managers the perceived stature of a club still holds great meaning. There is no metric for how ‘big’ a club is, yet it does still matter in the overall state of world football.

The size of a club is usually limited to fans bickering on Twitter or forums, yet in the world of high-profile transfers it takes a significant meaning.

European football is needed to maintain any level of status across the world game and players are always likely to move to a club that can guarantee regular Champions League action. Liverpool cannot. This has been of detriment to the club for several years and the time under Brendan Rodgers’ stewardship is doing no favours for the wider image of the club.

Other than the title challenge, Rodgers’ tenure has been a time of mass mediocrity and poor signings. Excuses can be made in the form of the Luis Suarez sale and of injuries, but the club is not growing in stature and continues to fall away from being the sort of name that will attract the biggest stars. As we saw last summer, Alexis Sanchez opted for the Emirates Stadium ahead of a move to Anfield, and Liverpool are buying players in a bracket below those who are heading to their Premier League rivals.

Their failings to be have an impact on the European game since the days of Rafa Benitez were epitomised in the underwhelming Champions League performance last season. Rodgers showed tactical naivety throughout the group stage and again raised question marks of whether he is developing sufficiently to manage a club of such size.

On top of their current shortcomings, Liverpool have regularly sold their star players over the last decade. Arguably it all started with the exits of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, but the departures of Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez and, most recently, Raheem Sterling must set alarm bells ringing in the minds of Liverpool fans.

Despite the vast sums of money Liverpool have generated from these sales, the image of selling on your biggest stars does very little for the club’s ability to attract big name players in the future. If Liverpool are to approach a player at a Champions League club, or who has the potential to move to one, they are likely to hold out for that bigger move.

History can speak a great deal for players in terms of decisions in their careers, but the modern game is quickly losing relation to historical reference and players are moving on to the club showing greatest ambition. To attract the very best, you must not just show ambition, there also needs to be a feeling of progress and chance to win trophies and, unfortunately for Liverpool, it’s hard to imagine players seeing either of these occurrences at Anfield anytime soon.

As the club regularly finishes outside of the top four, there is little to distinguish Liverpool from Tottenham, or even Southampton right now. The history of the club and prestige of a badge can only do so much for a player and the Raheem Sterling saga is a wonderful demonstration of the ambition that players look for in a transfer now.

Playing for Liverpool still carries great pedigree for some, but given the choice between a move to Anfield or any of the top four it is a no-brainer. The longer we move away from the 2013/14 season, the more the title challenge from Liverpool looks like an anomaly. Whether you are the next superstar, a 21-year-old or an established star in mainland Europe, a move to Liverpool currently looks like a back-up option if one of the top sides comes forward.

Crucially, people must distinguish between being a big club in terms of revenue, brand and being a big club in terms of football. Manchester City and Chelsea may have been propelled to prominence by money off the field, but they are currently streets ahead of Liverpool as teams and it is not just their money that brings players to the clubs.