Jurgen Klopp vowed Liverpool will not "throw money away" as he hit back at the Premier League champions' transfer critics.

Liverpool finished 18 points clear at the top of the table last season but have been accused by some observers of sitting back after making just one signing so far this window.

Kostas Tsimikas was brought in from Olympiakos for a reported £11.75million in August to provide competition for regular left-back Andy Robertson.

Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara continues to be linked with a move to Anfield, but the Reds are reportedly unwilling to match his €30million (£27.66m) valuation.

However, Klopp insisted he fully understands the lack of incomings ahead of the new campaign.

"Since I've been here, there has not been one transfer window where I've thought, 'If we don't get this player, we cannot start the season'. Not once," Klopp told Sky Sports.

"We are in a luxury situation that if we can bring somebody in, it will be a really good player, and if we don't, we have really good players.

"It's a little bit of theatre, this transfer business. In all the years I'm here it's always the same. That isn't to say we always did things right, we did things as good as we could do.

"It depends on different things - one is finding the player, one is having the money, and all of these kind of things.

"But I read this morning that somebody who saw my body language saw 'anxiety or anger' or things like this. Interesting! That starts really early, judging my body language!

"I expect that for the season, when we lose a game, when everybody will look if I'm still the funny guy I used to be in some press conferences when we won a game."

He added: "This club, since I am here, and before, spends what we earn. That was always the case. I don't know why this is so surprising now, it's nothing new.

"Pretty much everything we earn, we spend, if we have to in the moment. If not, we don't, because it makes no sense to throw money away.

"When I speak about the difficulty of the times we live in at the moment, people might think, 'Really? In football as well?'. Yes! Surprisingly enough, in football as well.

"Uncertainty means uncertainty for all of us. It must fit to the group. Influence from outside, which a transfer is, can help, 100 per cent. 

"If we can find the right player, it will probably happen, if not, then it won't."

Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for top-flight silverware in unique circumstances, playing their final nine games of last season behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Klopp is expecting the 2020-21 campaign to be even tougher for his side as they cope with the demands of playing in four competitions in a condensed period.

"It's a big one for all of us. I think it will be tough, tougher, the toughest probably," he said.

"In terms of being champions? Being Liverpool is always a challenge, wherever you go, they want to win anyway.

"Our challenge again will be to show again the greed, the desire, the mentality which we showed in the last years, to be successful again, as successful as possible."

Liverpool begin their Premier League title defence at home to promoted Leeds United on Saturday.