As they are faced with rivals who possess financial firepower they simply cannot defeat, Liverpool have to be creative in the transfer market.
The term ‘Moneyball’ is frequently bandied about, and though often used incorrectly, it is true that the Reds try to exploit inefficiencies in the transfer market where they can.
Thanks to changes following Brexit, with a new Governing Body Exemption replacing the old work permit criteria, it may be easier to sign players from South America than it is from Europe.
While Liverpool have had many talented Argentinian and Brazilian players, and indeed still do, they were mostly signed when already playing in the big leagues.
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Sebastian Coates joined from Uruguayan side Nacional while Lucas Leiva was purchased from Gremio, but these transfers have been exceptions. They may start to become far more common though.
The fact Lucas was a highly touted young player from Brazil did him few favours when it came to settling in and impressing his new fanbase.
Such starlets are automatically assumed to be fleet of foot and capable of dazzling feats of skill when that wasn’t Lucas’ game at all.
People are better informed about the merits of players from across globe now than they were then, of course, but one Brazilian who fits the nation’s stereotypical template is Endrick.
He’s a 15-year-old striker who plays for Palmeiras and thanks to his remarkable ability he is already generating admiring glances from many top European clubs, including Liverpool.
Endrick is currently playing in under-20s football and is taking the Sao Paulo Youth Cup by storm, with a record of a goal every 48 minutes in the competition.
How long before he moves up to Palmeiras’ senior side? Despite them being back-to-back Copa Libertadores champions, manager Abel Ferreira may have to contemplate adding Endrick to his squad sooner rather than later.
With the player’s immense popularity – 663,000 Instagram followers and counting – it will surely not be long before he rises through the ranks.
Some of his goals have been simply remarkable. He has shown he is capable of scoring from inside his own half, as he did against Corinthians in the Paulista under-17 final last year.
Earlier this month, when facing Real Ariquemes, Endrick dribbled past two defenders in their penalty box and nonchalantly chipped the goalkeeper.
Perhaps most famous of all though is his goal against Oeste last week, where he scored an outrageous overhead kick from the edge of the area.
Sorry, Lucas, but these are the sort of skills fans dream of when they see their side being linked with a Brazilian player.
But even if Liverpool can secure Endrick’s signature on a pre-contract when he turns 16 in July, he cannot leave for a foreign club until he is 18 years old.
As things stand, Jurgen Klopp will no longer be manager of the Reds by that point, with his contract expiring in 2024.
Endrick can look at the current Liverpool side and see that young players are unquestionably given first-team opportunities though.
Klopp has used 10 teenage players in all competitions so far this season, with three seeing game time in each of the Premier League and Champions League.
If Endrick needs inspiration for what’s possible as a young player in England then he need look no further than Harvey Elliott.
He started three successive league matches before suffering a horrendous injury in the last of them, against Leeds United.
Even though Elliott has been out since September, Valentino Livramento of Southampton and Andrew Omobamidele at Norwich remain the only teenagers to have made more Premier League starts than him this season.
With his recovery going well, it looks possible Elliott could return to the first team before turning 19 in April too.
Whichever European club Endrick ultimately signs for, he would be well advised to consider how likely he is to immediately play senior football there.
He could do a lot worse than joining Liverpool, a team who tend to build superstars rather than signing them.
