Liverpool's form may have taken a turn for the better in recent weeks, but there's no denying that it's been a thoroughly disappointing season for the Reds.
Barring a miraculous end to the campaign, Jurgen Klopp's side are set to miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time in six years.
That likely scenario may have factored into Liverpool's decision last month to opt against signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund this summer due to a lack of funds.
A season without Champions League football ought not to be catastrophic for a club of this calibre, but, as FourFourTwo's Adam Clery notes it in the video above, rival fans have suggested that it could leave the Reds "completely f****d" in the transfer market.
It's been clear for some time that Liverpool need to revamp their ageing midfield – which has looked concerningly soft for much of the current campaign – and it rather goes without saying that such a project will cost quite a lot of money.
The Reds are known for being financially sensible and spending within their means; "the problem they're about to have is that those means are about to shrink dramatically" due to their almost certain failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Playing in Europe's top club competition "is probably worth about £100m all-in to Liverpool" – who face having to make do with Europa League football next term.
As such, the Reds won't "be able to do what they would have wanted to do" with regards to signings this summer; any overhaul will probably have to be scaled back.
That said, Liverpool have shown repeatedly that they know how to spot value in the transfer market: "Mo Salah and Andy Robertson were not considered blue-chip transfers when they came in" but have been integral to the club's success under Klopp.
And Klopp might just be the most important factor of all: with one of the world's best managers at the helm, the Reds stand every chance of bouncing back in 2023/24.
Want to understand the challenges facing Liverpool this summer in more detail? Watch FourFourTwo's full video on how missing out on the Champions League will affect the Reds on YouTube.
