To the untrained eye, Mohamed Salah's future looked uncertain right up until, oh, maybe 10 minutes before he signed his new deal with Liverpool.
The Egyptian forward starred for the Reds last season, helping them win both domestic cups while coming dangerously close to what would have been an unprecedented quadruple. However, until his contract extension was made official, there was always doubt, with fans reading all kinds of things into a cryptic tweet from the player's agent.
There were some, too, who might not have begrudged him leaving. Had he not won everything there was to win with Liverpool? Would a new challenge - however he interpreted such a phrase - not be warranted?
After all, this was some of the language used to justify Sadio Mane's decision to trade Anfield for Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena. As Liverpool prepare for more years of Salah, though, one wonders whether Mane's decision helped his former teammate.
While June 2023 was looming large for Liverpool, we have seen in recent years that negotiations between out-of-contract players and their clubs can go on longer than in the past. Indeed, Kylian Mbappe was just weeks away from becoming a free agent when he agreed terms with Paris Saint-Germain.
The issue in these situations, of course, is financial. Money is less of an issue for PSG than it is for Liverpool, and that's before we get onto the matter of wage structures.
With a pay-packet north of £350,000 per week, Salah has become the best-paid player in Liverpool's history. That, on its own, seems reasonable - after all, he's been at the centre of some money-can't-buy moments since joining from Roma in 2017 - but the issue was one of precedent rather than the here and now.
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Not that long ago, Arsenal found themselves in a similar situation. Mesut Ozil had been handed a new deal, making him the club's highest earner, and it left them in a quandary when the time came to discuss terms with fellow midfielder Aaron Ramsey.
The Welshman wanted wages in the ballpark of those earned by his teammate. Arsenal either couldn't or wouldn't do that, but Juventus could and would, and so the Gunners lost a popular and long-serving player for nothing.
Had Liverpool made Salah his offer at the start of the summer, before Mane's exit and Darwin Nunez's arrival from Benfica, we might have seen similar concerns arise. Now, though, things look easier to justify.
Nunez and his people negotiated ahead of the deal being completed, no doubt earning a considerable amount to go along with the multi-million pound move. However, it was Mane who would have potentially had a case for similar money to the man who he got the better of in the Africa Cup of Nations final.
Salah may have outscored Mane, but the Senegal star was on target at key times, not least in both legs of the Champions League semi-final against Villarreal. He might not have been able to bring in massive money on the same scale, but he'd have certainly had a strong case.
And so, not only have Liverpool got Mane's wages off the books, but they know they won't have a second player pushing for north of £300,000 at the same time - now that's something it might be harder to justify financially.
When Liverpool built their title-winning front three, they did so gradually. Roberto Firmino joined in 2015, with Mane following a year later and Salah joining the party in 2017.
The set-up allowed Klopp to phase out existing squad members, working with them while integrating the newer faces. That meant the likes of Daniel Sturridge could stay and show the new guys the ropes before passing on the torch, and there's a sense Salah can now do similar - not that he is close to being surplus to requirements.
Luis Diaz has already shown his quality since joining from Benfica in January, scoring some big goals and giving Liverpool fans an idea of what's to come. Nunez, meanwhile, gave glimpses against the Reds, leaving plenty in little doubt about his ability to carry that form forward into the Premier League.
While there will be plenty of confidence in the two arrivals from the Primeira Liga, and there are still goal sources from elsewhere, there's a chance one of both of Diaz and Nunez find things tough in the early part of the season. The presence of a reliable scorer in Salah should ease one of those worries, and that's before we get on to what he can teach his colleagues.
Over the last few months, Mohamed Salah has been trying to make the case that Liverpool can't afford to lose him, even after the goals dried up a little towards the end of last season. In earning his new deal, and getting what he wants from the club, it's safe to say that battle has been won.
