The transfers that go into the double-digit millions are the ones that determine whether a manager is successful and define reigns.
Jurgen Klopp has done 10 such deals since he took charge at Anfield and his strike rate has been remarkable, ever since he sanctioned the £30million purchase of Sadio Mane from Southampton in June 2016. It is not stretching things to say that nine have influenced Liverpool’s big recent nights.
Mohamed Salah, Gini Wijnaldum, Andrew Robertson, Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Virgil van Dijk have all, like Mane, been unqualified successes. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will soon be in that category while Xherdan Shaqiri helped topple Barcelona on one epic night in May.