Liverpool's capture of Virgil van Dijk in January 2018 - six months after they'd been unable to convince Southampton to sell - is arguably their smartest piece of business in modern times.
The Reds were one of several Premier League sides looking to acquire the Dutchman, who made it known he wanted to leave St Mary's and eventually got the deal over the line for £75million. Their patience had been rewarded and soon the silverware followed.
Premier Leagues and Champions Leagues have been won, owing massively to shrewd recruitment. Jurgen Klopp has relished being able to improve players, the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. Van Dijk is another who has continued to grow, but the nature in which they signed him fed a narrative that Liverpool "wait for their man".
Five years on from that signing though and such a policy has seemingly passed its sell-by date and could have seismic consequences. Liverpool have been strongly linked with Jude Bellingham, who wasn't on the market back in the summer, but few critics foresaw the problems that would occur as the club chose to bide their time and not invest in a marquee midfield.
Carragher's distress signal
Jamie Carragher is one man who has long hailed the recruitment decisions at Anfield. He did though raise concerns before the season over an ageing midfield that included the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner. Many of the stalwarts of the Champions League final win from May 2019 remain key figures now.
The problem is, whilst they may be experienced, they lack the energy to employ the pressing system for which Klopp's side became so renowned.
In the summer they spent big on Darwin Nunez after waving goodbye to Mane. It meant their midfield was largely overlooked, bar the addition of Fabio Carvalho. Many saw that as a telltale sign that the club were saving themselves for 12 months time - a move that was largely green-lighted by Carragher.
He said on the Overlap: "I think Liverpool could still do with someone in midfield, not numbers-wise, but quality-wise. Notoriously, with how Liverpool have done their transfers under Klopp, they wait for who they want. When they didn't get Van Dijk that time, they waited until January. Most fans were saying they had to go and buy another centre-back but no, they don't panic.
"I just think Liverpool, they're not daft, the first choice midfield three right now is quite old, getting into their 30s, but Liverpool are prepared to wait and I think that's one of the reasons why they're so good in the transfer market. So they must have someone lined up next summer."
Problems realised
Fast forward a matter of months from those comments and Liverpool, a side who were two games away from winning the quadruple last term, now have a fight on their hands to finish in the top four. A midweek loss to Brentford further highlighted their issues, many of which stem from their ageing midfield.
Thiago is their only major acquisition in the middle of the park for several years. Bellingham is on the radar whilst they've been linked with Benfica and Argentina star Enzo Fernandez. Declan Rice could yet be an option should West Ham look to cash in.
All that though is irrelevant right now as Liverpool, who are 16 points off the top having won less than half their league games this term, face up to an issue that stems from one right decision to wait for Van Dijk all those years ago.
Clearly, no player has fitted the mould or been within their financial capabilities in recent years and Carragher maintains that a transfer group that were once praised, must now cop serious flack for their misjudgement.
He said in midweek: "Liverpool have bought one proper midfield player in four-and-a-half years in Thiago - and it is coming back to haunt them now. Everyone keeps talking about Jude Bellingham - Liverpool haven't got a problem going forward, it is a midfield player to stop the opposition coming right through them.
"Liverpool's transfer committee and Jurgen Klopp, who have brought players to the club, have been absolutely lauded more than any scouting network in football - this is on them.
"So when you've had the plaudits, to allow a team that almost won four trophies last season, to now be fighting for top four because they've only had one midfield player signed in four-and-a-half years."
