Having approached the start of the January transfer window with full steam, Liverpool gradually ran out of it the closer it got to deadline day.
The Reds felt the benefits of Julian Ward's intense Christmas schedule, when the sporting director concluded proceedings with his PSV Eindhoven counterpart, Marcel Brands, over the course of three days between December 24 and 26 to sign Cody Gakpo.
The news that the Eredivisie's top scorer was on his way to Merseyside only added to what was a buoyant mood for the club in the dying embers of December when back-to-back victories over Aston Villa and Leicester City followed the return of domestic action after the World Cup.
