When the transfer window closes, football fans can’t resist flocking to lists of remaining free agents in the hope of additional business and Liverpool supporters are no different.
It doesn’t matter whether they’ve spent over £175m to rebuild their spine or brought in just one player despite outside belief that further strengthening was needed, fans are always left wanting more, such is their ongoing unsatisfied quench for further recruitment.
If we’re honest, the free agent market outside of a transfer window is rarely the answer. Afterall, Andy Lonergan remains the only player Liverpool have signed after a deadline since the system was revamped in 2002/03.
To be blunt, if an unattached player was a hotly-desired talent, they would have been snapped up as soon as their last deal expired.
Of course, there are some exceptions with regards to injury or players ripping up contracts with clubs prior to a deadline to free them up to move outside of the window.
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A quick glance at the list of current free agents on Wednesday morning and you would be greeted by the names of Serge Aurier, Jerome Boateng, David Luiz, Franck Ribery, Hatem Ben Arfa, Jack Wilshere, Radamel Falcao, Daniel Sturridge, Javier Pastore, Fernando Llorente and Mario Mandzukic to name but a few.
Yet despite the plethora of recognised names you can often spot on the free agent list, it’s rarely the bargain basement it promises to be. In truth, it’s more a retirement home, littered with ageing or injury-prone fallen stars.
But we can but dream.
With Liverpool fans still feeling the Reds could have done with additional recruitment in both attack and midfield this summer, scarred by last season’s centre-back injury crisis following the departures of Xherdan Shaqiri and Gini Wijnaldum, it is natural that their curiosity could be piqued by current unattached players.
With their limited transfer activity in complete contrast to their title-rivals, there will be an element of panic in the Football Manager generation of supporters, as they passionately look for answers they feel Liverpool have missed.
It was the case for much of last year as Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip were all struck down by season-ending injuries, with Ezequiel Garay one such player that caught the eye as a potential high-profile emergency replacement.
Of course, that unattached status came courtesy of a serious knee injury he had suffered himself which has since seen him retire, demonstrating why the free agent market is not the best to navigate to the untrained eye.
Even when injuries strike, it is rare that the answer can be found on the free agent list with the majority of players lacking the required match fitness to make an instant impact at top-end clubs.
Yet regardless of any injuries Liverpool might suffer this season, fans know Jurgen Klopp faces the ticking time bomb of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita’s mid-season departure to the Africa Cup of Nations to contend with and the Reds have taken a calculated risk by not strengthening further.
Of course, this will not be the first time Liverpool have taken such a stance with them repeatedly preferring to wait for first-choice targets rather than signing numbers for the sake of it, with the arrivals of Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies back in January a rare exception when their hand really was forced.
When missing out on Virgil van Dijk in the summer of 2017, they waited until January to land the Dutchman rather than targeting an alternative centre-back immediately.
Longing to sign Alisson, they were willing to not strengthen their goalkeeping ranks despite Loris Karius’ horror show in the 2018 Champions League final, until a Roma u-turn saw the Brazilian become available.
And rather than sign any defender to replace Dejan Lovren last summer, they gambled on Fabinho as their emergency fourth choice, admittedly seeing such a decision blow up in their face in the worst possible manner, before deciding upon Ibrahima Konate as the right replacement back in May.
This approach is not going to change.
If losing all three of his recognised, senior centre-backs didn’t force Klopp to turn to the free agent market, a few bottom lips sticking out about not possessing a ninth central-midfield option or about the abilities of his attacking reserves certainly won’t force his hand.
Such a quick-fix is never his answer.
This is Liverpool’s squad until January at least, and there will be no desperate, last-gasp attempt to strengthen before then regardless of fortunes on the pitch up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United, Romelu Lukaku’s Chelsea and Jack Grealish’s Man City.
Klopp knows he will lose his African trio temporarily in January and he knows he possesses an ageing squad that will need a revamp in the not too distant future.
But if the right player who is indisputably an improvement on what the Reds already boast is not available in a suitable deal, it is only right Liverpool wait.
Whether that wait lasts until January or the summer, only time will tell, but with the Reds winning the Premier League and Champions League in recent seasons following this method, such an approach has earned trust.
It admittedly isn’t as exciting nine-figure transfer fees or a handful of new arrivals, but Klopp's approach has served him well throughout his time at Anfield, with only the most extreme set of circumstances costing his side last season.
It might prompt feelings of frustration against owners FSG and their lack of investment, but by not possessing the endless funds of a Man City or a Chelsea, they cannot afford to gamble on reckless misfires.
Liverpool have repeatedly shown patience before in the transfer market and it has paid off.
With Klopp and Michael Edwards building a side that won the Premier League, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup under such circumstances, they more than deserve a little faith shown in their talents.
And when the Reds do next bolster their ranks, whenever that might be, it won’t be the quick-fix bargain or the record buy as a show of financial strength.
No, rather the only thing Liverpool will take into consideration is if their next signing is the right player.
