If the evidence that Southampton allegedly had is to be believed, Liverpool had already done the hard work in convincing Virgil van Dijk to move north during a wooing process that included a conversation in Blackpool.
When you need a tower, it would make sense to head to the Fylde coast.
As things transpired, the move fell down amid claims of tapping up, and here was the big Dutchman, as expected at Anfield, but in the referee-esque turquoise and black of Southampton.
While the visiting Saints were scoreless, it is safe to say that Liverpool's need for a strong centre-half — not to mention a goalkeeper — remains.