With the signature of Mohamed Salah written on the dotted line, the first part of Liverpool's long-term transfer strategy was complete.
It was decided at some stage during the pandemic that the club would be taking a 'retain and refresh' approach to their future as plans were put in place to keep hold of the nucleus of a squad that had lifted the Champions League and Premier League in successive summers between 2019 and 2020.
It was a policy that frustrated some supporters last summer as Ibrahima Konate proved to be the only arrival, but the hard work behind the scenes ensured that the elite squad that many have championed as the strongest in decades at Anfield has been kept together for the coming years under a manager who would later sign on until 2026 himself.
