The clamour for transfers may be at an all-time high during the Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield just now. So much so that the Liverpool boss had heard enough towards the end of his Friday press conference.
Having earlier declared it unlikely that he will be adding to his squad this month, Klopp was again asked as to the reason why there is probably going to be no further additions to supplement the arrival of Cody Gakpo as he chatted to the assembled press at the AXA Centre.
“Really!?" said Klopp. "I've had 6,000 press conferences at Liverpool. Come on, do I have to tell you the money story again? What could be the reason [for no more signings]? Is it that we have money like crazy but we don't buy the players even when they are available?
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"That's what you think of me, after all the years? Why do you ask the question when the answer lies on the table. You know the answer. If I sit here and say: 'No, no, no. We have money in the bank massively, like we don't know what to do with, but the players that are out there, nah we don't do that'. On top of that, the problem we have is that at the moment four of our offensive players are injured."
Klopp would be right to insist that he does not need to sanction a five-year contract for another striking option to cover the relatively short-term absences of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz when Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez are not serious injuries either, but the glaring issue remains in the centre of the park.
With a midfield department that contains Jordan Henderson (32), Thiago Alcantara (31), James Milner (37), Harvey Elliott (19) and Curtis Jones (21), Liverpool simply don't have enough players in their peak years to choose from in that area of the pitch.
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, at 27 and 29 respectively, should be near their best, but doubts remain about the long-term suitability of both as they enter the final few months of their deals.
Fabinho, at 29, is the closest Liverpool have to a midfielder of the requisite quality at the right age and big questions have been asked of the Brazil international for some time now.
The capture of another midfielder this month would not wave a magic wand over the ills at Anfield and there can be no denying that those already at the club need to vastly improve on what has been a frustrating and difficult campaign on the whole.
Liverpool lack energy and the drop-off in the numbers - particularly the metrics around running statistics and defending - show a remarkably sharp downturn from the heights of last season.
Klopp's terse response in his Friday press conference would appear to suggest there is little left in the pot after the deal to sign Gakpo for an initial £37m at the start of the month. And while Liverpool's model has never been to throw money at any one problem, the feeling remains that a more prudent outlook this month could prove more costly in the long term.
The irony, of course, is that Liverpool's deal for Gakpo is the biggest one of the window to date and elsewhere across the Premier League shows clubs unwilling to sanction anything major so far, Chelsea aside.
But at a time when owners Fenway Sports Group are continuing to assess the merits of external investment while exploring the potential for an outright sale of the club itself, would it not be wiser to speculate now in an effort to accumulate later?
It does not take the sharpest financial minds to conclude that an absence from the Champions League - and the treasure trove that comes with it - would have an impact on FSG's hopes of sourcing capital.
"Sometimes you have to [buy] but usually we just have to get through until the boys come back and then you can use them again," Klopp added. "That's why in our best season we didn't have a lot of injuries.
"Now we have them and we have to deal with that but the transfer market, for us in this moment, is obviously not the solution. But if something is out there and someone tells me 'yes we will do it but for this particular situation'. I don't think it will happen."
While Klopp has a point about how transfers cannot be the solution to injuries, that overlooks the wider issue of a squad that is crying out for midfield dynamism even with a fully-fit complement of players.
And if the major stumbling block simply is down to finances, then the question must be asked: Where has all the money gone? Liverpool's self-sustainable model looks like the work of genius when, like last season, the team is successful. But when results dip and performances wane, it begins to appear like negligence at the top, particularly when the manager is so forthright in his explanation about the lack of further transfer activity.
One school of thought is that the funds are being earmarked for more exorbitant spending later down the line and the incessant speculation around Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham indicates that to an extent, given the England midfielder would likely set a new transfer record at Anfield, which still stands at £75m paid for Virgil van Dijk five years ago.
But with Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Milner all into the final months of their contracts, Liverpool's midfield department will be in need of major surgery in just a few short months. A proactive approach now will help ease the difficulty of renovating the engine room in the summer, particularly if Champions League is not on the agenda.
Attempting to rebuild an ageing midfield to the required standard without the riches from Europe's premier competition will become a nigh-on impossible task for Klopp and Liverpool's recruitment department, especially when there might be a new sporting director in place who will be demanded to do so too.
Whatever your feelings on transfers during the month of January, there is no dispute that performances can and must be improved by the current crop at the manager's disposal. Klopp says Liverpool can't afford to sign anyone else this month, but given their Champions League place is at stake, can they really afford not to?
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