Jurgen Klopp defiant over Philippe Coutinho replacement with no transfer 'solution' available

Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Liverpool are not seeking to sign a replacement for Philippe Coutinho before Wednesday's (31 January) transfer deadline and claims that potential solutions to their recent blip are not available on the current market as the club potentially look to strengthen again over the summer.

After a protracted saga that lasted months and saw Liverpool initially stand firm in the face of multiple lucrative offers and a transfer request, Coutinho finally sealed his "dream" move to Barcelona earlier this month for a £142m ($200m) fee - the second-highest in football history behind only Neymar's €222m switch from Catalonia to Paris Saint-Germain last August.

The Reds won all three matches the Brazilian playmaker missed before that departure due to a thigh injury and handed dominant leaders Manchester City a first Premier League loss of 2017-18 in their first contest following his eventual exit.

They have stalled somewhat since then, however, with a shock 1-0 loss to bottom club Swansea City followed by an incident-packed home defeat to another relegation-threatened side in West Bromwich Albion that saw them exit the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage.

Klopp does not feel that Coutinho would have helped Liverpool avoid those disappointing results and extend an impressive 19-match unbeaten run that had seen them go above Chelsea into third.

"Phil Coutinho is not to replace in this transfer window. We can stop thinking about it," he told reporters at a press conference held at Melwood in advance of Tuesday night's visit to face a struggling Huddersfield Town side managed by long-time friend David Wagner, per the Press Association.

"It is not about replacing anyone, it is about using our own opportunities, our own tools, players, tactics and formations. Yes, it is right we didn't play well at Swansea but a few days before we played fantastic against Man City.

"We could have won at Swansea and exactly the same with the last game. It was not about creating chances, it was about different things. I don't think Phil would have helped a lot in these situations."

Liverpool made the first major splash of the January window by sealing a world-record £75m deal for Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, but, aside from the low-key £200,000 addition of Falkirk teenager Tony Gallacher, have yet to conclude any more incoming business after failing with attempts to expedite midfielder Naby Keita's summer move from RB Leipzig by six months.

Plenty of players have been linked including Thomas Lemar, Riyad Mahrez, Alisson, Luan, Salomon Rondon, Javier Pastore and Ezri Konsa, but Klopp has cast doubt on any further new arrivals this week and stressed that the club must not panic on that front with Coutinho's departure followed by another injury setback to Adam Lallana, who has a "little" muscle tear.

"We have to get immediately back on the winning track and we need results to reach our targets, we know that, but the solution is not out there in the transfer market in this moment," he added. "We always have open eyes in situations like that but it is not like there is something out there for us to get because we really think we have to use, first of all, our players.

"Unfortunately in the moment when Phil left Adam got an injury and that was unlucky but that cannot be the reason for getting nervous and going out to try do something. In the long term we will do a lot, in the short term I don't think a lot will happen."