In the transfer window Liverpool always deal with their cards close to their chest, which made it almost impossible for anyone to predict what former sporting director Michael Edwards had hidden up his sleeve as he aimed to supply Jurgen Klopp's squad with fresh competition year-on-year.
So that's why in September 2020 plenty of eyebrows were raised when the Reds moved swiftly to finalise a deal for Wolves forward Diogo Jota. At the time, the Reds had toyed with the idea of pursing a deal for Watford's Ismaïla Sarr, but the financial demands of the Hornets meant a move to Anfield never materialised.
Instead, Liverpool added one of the Premier League's most underrated forward's to the ranks in of Jota for an initial fee of just £41m.
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Some 85 outings in the Red of Liverpool later and the Portugal international has mustered up an impressive goal-return of 34, yet he still faces question marks over his long-term future at Anfield.
The arrival of Darwin Nunez from Benfica - while on paper it appears to be another potential hurdle for the former Wolves man to overcome in his bid to become a permanent fixture in the Reds' starting XI - could actually help Jota recapture some of his finer form from earlier in the 2021/22 season.
So far during his career on Merseyside, the 25-year-old has most notably featured as a central striker. Though, in the aftermath of Luis Diaz signing from Porto in January - Jota has undergone something of his own mid-season tweak due to Sadio Mane 's evolution into an all-encompassing centre-forward, and Diaz's blistering start to English football - the Portugal international found himself carrying out somewhat of a bit-part role in the final weeks of the season.
That, obviously, isn't a role to be snarled at given the plethora of options the Reds currently have at their disposal.
And in his career to date, Jota hasn't enjoyed a relationship as prolific as the one he forged up with former Wolves teammate Raul Jimenez, with the pair combining for 17 goals across their 81 matches together - a partnership he could look to replicate with Liverpool's latest blockbuster addition.
During the pair's most fruitful season together, the 2018/19 campaign, they combined for nine goals. The foundations of their blossoming relationship was to come when manager Nuno Espirito Santo ventured from a 5-4-1 to a 3-5-2, a tactical switch that earned Wolves plenty of praise amongst from, peers as they finished seventh during their top-flight return, but also harvested the best out of Jota and Jimenez as a forward duo.
Given how Liverpool have operated in attacking during Klopp's tenure, with wide forwards operating within the width of the box as the full-backs hug the touchline, long gone are the days where the Liverpool manager would entertain the idea of leading with a two-man forward pairing.
Though, with the long-term future of Mohamed Salah still undecided as talks about his contract fail to overcome the current impasse, Jota could offer Klopp an alternative solution playing as a 'second-striker' just off Nunez, in an array of formations, or a straight up partner for the Uruguayan.
There is no doubting Jota's ability, given the glimpses of brilliance he has frequently produced during his time at Liverpool thus far, a flashback to his goal in the 4-1 drubbing of Everton last December will highlight just that, but in terms of being able to hone his skills into one position, the jury is surprisingly still out.
At the moment he could be exactly what Klopp needs as he is set to embark on his evolving his side once more, and having a player as a versatile as Jota in his ranks means he has the option to stick or twist throughout the season at the click of a finger.
Ultimately, given his track-record of featuring on the left, right and down the middle for the Reds, although the arrival of Nunez could be perceived as one to block Jota's path to his desired central position, Liverpool's number 20 could be exactly what Klopp needs to compliment his soon-to-be Liverpool signing in a bid to hit the ground running next campaign.