Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that any transfer made in the current window must be for "the right player" rather than "a player" amid calls for his side to sign a new midfielder.
The Reds have been dealt yet another blow with the luckless Thiago Alcantara, who is set for at least four and potentially up to six weeks out with the hamstring injury he sustained in the 2-2 draw with Fulham last weekend.
Klopp was also without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones and Naby Keita at Craven Cottage, with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson being joined in the middle by Harvey Elliott after Thiago went off.
James Milner and Fabio Carvalho also came off the bench against Marco Silva's side, but there have been persistent calls for the Reds to bolster their midfield ranks in the coming weeks.
However, speaking to reporters ahead of Monday's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Anfield, Klopp has affirmed that Liverpool would have already dipped into their war chest earlier in the window if a transfer made sense.
"I'm happy with the strength, size and quality of my squad but we have injuries, that's how it is," Klopp said at his pre-game press conference. "Now it is a question of how long will players be out and stuff like this and there are different solutions for it.
"There are plenty I would say and one of them is the transfer market, but the transfer market only makes sense if you can bring in the right player. The right player, not a player.
"It's easy to bring a player in and that doesn't help even [for] a week. If there is the right player then it would make sense but we always actually would have done that from the first day of the transfer window. From the first day of the pre-season, we would have done it.
"But it's just in some cases not possible and in other cases extremely difficult. That's why you don't have to think a lot about it. If something is not possible why should I then constantly think about it? 'But if not we cannot exist...?' We can. So, all the other solutions are inside the squad."
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jones will spend a little while longer recovering from their hamstring and calf injuries, but Klopp has revealed that Keita is fit and available after recovering from illness.
Kostas Tsimikas could also shake off a knock in time for the contest, but Diogo Jota, Caoimhin Kelleher and Ibrahima Konate will all miss out once more.
"Yes, we have now in the moment definitely too many injuries. A couple of boys are coming back: Naby will be back for Monday and Kostas will train today for the first time so he might be back as well. That's the situation," Klopp added.
"I understand your questions, really, but on the other hand side I don't understand them as well because if there would be the right solution for us we would have done it already. We are not stubborn or whatever and say, 'No! No way, we don't bring in anybody.'
"If there would be a right player and there would have been the opportunity, we would have done it, we would do it. But I don't see it because we had a lot of conversations already and it doesn't look like something will happen."
Ahead of Monday's visit of Crystal Palace, Liverpool have tied 19-year-old midfielder Elliott down to a new long-term contract until the summer of 2027, as well as agreeing a new deal with 17-year-old prospect Stefan Bajcetic. body check tags ::
