Jurgen Klopp has revealed his frustration at Liverpool’s struggle to sign players during the January transfer window.
Saturday’s shock home defeat to Swansea City virtually ended any hopes the Reds had of remaining in the Premier League title race until the final months.
Attempts to land Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic and Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Julian Brandt have been met with stern opposition by both clubs.
Earlier this month, Klopp also saw Wolfsburg’s Julian Draxler spurn overtures from Anfield in favour of securing a lucrative move to Paris Saint-Germain.
And the Liverpool manager has admitted that the reluctance of clubs to sell players in the current market has hampered plans to strengthen his squad.
He said: “I understand it is absolutely normal that people ask whether we should have brought players in.
“The situation is yes, on the one side pretty simple, but on the other hand it is pretty difficult. It is not that we don’t want to bring players in. We do.
“But the thing is, the players we want because we think they help us, the clubs don’t sell. It is not about money in this situation, it is the winter transfer window.
“Clubs are saying ‘No, we have half a year to go, we cannot find another player like this, we prefer to take money in the summer than a few pounds more in the winter than whatever’.
“So it is pretty easy. You see the situation. It’s tight, it’s close, we know that.
“But if the right decision is not possible in signing the right player then you cannot make the wrong transfer.”