This was bound to happen after claims the club were prepared to fully back Jurgen Klopp in the next transfer window, after stingily restraining him to a negative net spend since arriving in October 2015.

It doesn't matter how hard you resist being sucked into the name game, a quality player gets linked to Liverpool and it's human nature to imagine somebody like Monaco's Kylian Mbappe in a red shirt. Preposterous obviously, but there's no harm in dreaming -- unless fans become agitated and regard the club in a lesser light once the transfer doesn't materialise.

Liverpool's status requires saner voices to urge patience. Monaco's stars are not only able to name their own wage terms but get the pick of any club that legitimately offers perennial pursuit of major trophies.

Liverpool aren't there yet, so the plan must be to rebuild further until the biggest stars view the Reds in the same way.

Klopp's plans will focus primarily on ironing out last season's wrinkles. His first choice team is pretty good, excellent at times, but fitness and a lack of quality cover whenever fixtures pile up is a major concern.

His reluctance to use the youngest players at his disposal -- except for minor cup matches, when he threw them all into the team -- was discouraging, especially after someone like Trent Alexander-Arnold played so well in a high pressure match at Old Trafford.

Liverpool's style can be frenetic and players are increasingly susceptible to injury. A more thoughtful style of play, especially when trying to maintain a lead in the latter stages of the game, is required at times.

These are things than can be fixed at Anfield without massive spending. The added European fixtures next season mean a greater workload. While 76 points was a reasonable total for last season and fourth place a significant improvement on 2015-16, next season still looks like being another transitional one.

The Reds have confirmed they will sign Chelsea's Dominic Solanke. Fans may prefer summer's opening transfer to make a statement of intent but that only impresses kids. Someone like Southampton's Virgil van Dijk would be more to their liking, casually ignoring the fact that Liverpool's defensive ills are more to do with organisation and formation than personnel.

Another player linked to a move is Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but his fee would also be ridiculously high for a player who only scores two league goals a season.

The game moves on and people should be wary about examples from the past, yet it's easy to forget Liverpool never spent their way to success. Their greatest goal scorers for example have nearly always cost little or nothing.

Potential club legends like Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres weren't massive buys either. An element of risk and ingenuity was involved in their sealing their signatures.

As for defenders, Rafa Benitez mastered the art of getting who he wanted at ridiculously low prices. He knew organisation and midfield protection were just as important. The low "goals conceded" totals of the time testify to that.

English football is becoming competitive again. Four Champions League places were fiercely contested for last time and will be for the foreseeable future. Liverpool's immediate concern is to consolidate their place in that fight.

Klopp had a sure hand in the transfer market during his time at Borussia Dortmund but it centred on finding upcoming talent which flourished under his command. His difficulty at Anfield will be the extra £10 million or more added to the fee of any player the club expresses an interest in. It's in this particular area where fans hope he can make his mark, but it also requires a level of patience from both owners and supporters which hasn't been evident in recent times.

It is Liverpool's judgement of a player that has gone awry in the modern era, the very quality that made them the great club they are. Other clubs' ability to meet huge fee and wage demands may prove irksome but that hardly blocks Liverpool off from making their own improvements.

The main objective must be to ensure at least two major signings -- players that can relieve the pressure on Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane to always perform at their best. Their performances are too often integral to Liverpool's.

Then hopefully there will be enough left to bolster a squad that often looks wafer thin during busier periods.

Demands for Klopp to break Liverpool's transfer record are of little use to anyone, especially when you remember who that £35m record fee was spent on: Andy Carroll. When Liverpool's keen eye for a player returns, the good times are sure to follow.