It was pure heartache for the Liverpool supporters here in the Transfer Tavern on Wednesday night, as they witnessed their team crash out of the EFL Cup at the semi-final stage courtesy of a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Southampton.

It meant that the landlord had a sombre atmosphere in the Tavern last night, as the devoted Liverpool supporters drowned their sorrows with a cocktail of cheap lager and shots from the landlord’s offers menu.

Given their disappointment in the EFL Cup it could tempt boss Jurgen Klopp into a foray into the transfer market before it closes on Tuesday night, in order to ensure that a second half of the season collapse doesn’t ensue.

Writer Lee Clarke looks at two last-minute deals that the Liverpool boss should as his owners to sanction before the transfer window slams shut.

Virgil Van Dijk

The Southampton central defender is currently nursing a knock but it is pretty obvious that the powerful player would be a useful asset for Liverpool.

The big Dutchman would bolster what looks like a shaky Reds defence and it would give the club the best possible chance of finishing in the top four of the Premier League this season.

One Liverpool fan is having a game of cards with his pals and he says that the 25-year-old is a must for Klopp to consider during this transfer window.

Gaston Ramirez

The Middlesbrough man has handed in a transfer request up north and looks set to leave the Riverside Stadium before the deadline.

Given that Klopp’s number one priorities might hold out until the summer before moving, a player such as Ramirez could prove a decent stop gap until then.

A Liverpool fan is sat at the bar chatting up one of the Tavern’s bar staff and he thinks that Ramirez would be a decent player, although he does state that the Reds shouldn’t pay over the odds for him.