Liverpool’s primary objective in the January transfer window

It’s still only September, but Philippe Coutinho’s recent injury makes this relevant now: in January, Liverpool really need to look at bringing in a player who can cover the Brazilian’s position.
Short-term, Luis Suarez is capable of dropping-into the advanced-midfield role vacated by Coutinho’s injury and providing Brendan Rodgers’ side with a lot of the same attributes, but long-term Suarez’s role is obviously further forward.
What we learned in the second-half of the Swansea game, and more profoundly against Southampton at the weekend, is that Liverpool are an inferior side without Coutinho, and their offensive rhythm and passing variety just isn’t the same when he’s sat in the stand. Iago Aspas can’t cover the position, and neither can Jordan Henderson or Luis Alberto.
Six weeks may not be a long-time to wait for Coutinho to be match-fit again, but Rodgers and Liverpool need to learn from this situation and put a solution in place as soon as possible – any attempt at regaining a Champions League spot would be badly undermined should this scenario repeat itself in February or March.
Look at the teams around Liverpool at the moment, and the ones that they’ll likely have to battle for the top-four spots: Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham all have significantly more strength in attacking-midfield. For example, should Andre Villas-Boas lose Christian Eriksen from his Tottenham side, he has Lewis Holtby or Gylfi Sigurdsson to replace him, if Arsene Wenger lost Mesut Ozil, he could conceivable shuffle Santi Cazorla back into a more central role.
The Southampton loss aside, there’s a lot to be positive about at Anfield at the moment, and it would just be such an avoidable shame if the absence of one player held this squad back from achieving what they’re capable of.
Clearly finding a Coutinho-clone is next to impossible, especially so within Liverpool’s current budget, but if Rodgers can find a developing player in that floating/creative mould, and one who is going to be disheartened by substantial bench-time, in January, then that’s something for his ‘must-do’ pile. More than any other attacking position, that one is in urgent need of depth.