Jurgen Klopp was initially on guard when the inevitable questions about Thiago Alcantara came.
It was September 18, 2020 when the Reds boss was speaking to the media to preview that weekend's trip to Chelsea and the attention was on the impending arrival of Thiago from Bayern Munich.
Klopp was reluctant to discuss the merits of the incoming midfielder and only relented when he was informed that his words would not be published until 10.30pm that evening - hours after Thiago would be confirmed as a Liverpool player.
It was only then that the guard dropped and the manager spoke effusively about the qualities of the new £25m midfielder.
“He will bring a different dimension to our game," he said at the time.
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"He has some skills that are pretty rare and suit us pretty well. But, apart from that, he was pretty excited about the opportunity as well so there was not a lot of convincing needed.
"It helps if someone really wants to be part of a specific project, that’s nice. So all the things came together and that is what I say is a win-win situation.”
That Klopp was originally averse to detailing too much, even with the Spaniard literally undertaking his own media duties with the club's official website at the same time, revealed a lot about how the German operates.
It was the same straight bat that Klopp had played the previous afternoon when he was asked at Melwood about transfer links by Sky Sports.
"What can I say? Nothing, actually," Klopp said in a video that was released less than 24 hours before Thiago was confirmed as a Liverpool player.
"Because like always, we are not part of the speculation. We try to never be and that is it pretty much and when there is something to announce, you are the first I will call."
To anyone who has followed Klopp closely during his time at Anfield, that he was unwilling to divulge too much before anything was made official was wholly in-keeping with his usual tactics.
So it was telling that Klopp was so open to talking about his and the club's interest in Fabio Carvalho last week.
"We are still interested - it would be crazy if we were not," he said, breaking with what has become a long-held stance.
"It was late, the window closed, it did not work out. We'll see what happens."
It was only a short answer to a question put to him in his Friday press conference, but the fact that he was at least willing to open up slightly will be viewed as positive news for supporters.
Later that week, it took less than five minutes at the Etihad on Saturday for Carvalho to add to his burgeoning reputation as he opened the scoring in Fulham's 4-1 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
Cottagers boss Marco Silva has indicated a desire to keep the England youth international at Craven Cottage beyond the end of his current terms which expire in the summer.
He said: “I’m not 100 per cent sure [what happens next].
“Even if I’m an optimistic person, I will not say that [we] have things under control. If I said that, I would be lying to you.
"But of course, it’s not 100 per cent sure that the player will leave. It is a scenario, one that is possible, definitely.
“The only thing I said to you all was that Fabio would be with us until the end of the season. In that moment I was 100 per cent sure that will happen because it was our decision. It was something I could control and the club could control.
“He’s with us until the end of the season. He’s really happy with us and the main thing for me is that. If you try more and more to renew (his contract) with him and he will not renew, or he goes to another club, this I can’t control or we can’t control as a football club.
“What I’m sure is to keep taking the best from him, I’m 100 per cent sure that Fabio will give his best for the club as well definitely, like he is doing so far.
"This is the main thing. Of course, after, if we as a football club we can do something, to try to change the scenario that would be perfect. But I can’t control that.”
Liverpool's pursuit of Carvalho goes on and Anfield officials know they are no longer in the same race against time they found themselves in on deadline day when the 11pm cut-off point arrived before a deal could be secured.
That affords the recruitment team the time and space to conclude a transfer that works for all parties with the Reds keen to avoid a tribunal and Fulham desperate to earn a fee for a player who could depart on a free at the end of the season.
Any further updates from Klopp are not likely to be forthcoming as he reverts to type on any future questions over Carvalho.
But last week's utterance was perhaps enough to know that the 19-year-old's future is likely to lie at Anfield.
