In his seventh summer as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp is fully aware of how it all works by now.
Every year, the Liverpool boss is made to front up to questions over transfer targets as the steady beat of those who demand more goes on in the background.
In 2017 when the plans to bring Virgil van Dijk to Anfield fell through, the calls for another defensive addition went on right through until the final seconds of transfer deadline day. A year later, after a move for Nabil Fekir had collapsed, an attacking midfielder was the top priority - despite having seen Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita all signed.
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In 2019, it was argued that Liverpool had to capitalise on their status as champions of Europe and more signings were needed to usurp Manchester City as Premier League kings. The additions of Adrian, Harvey Elliott and Sepp van der Berg did little to change minds and win hearts of those doubting.
Two years ago, it was a similar situation. As Premier League champions, the Reds were told in certain quarters that more than Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota was needed to build a Klopp dynasty at Anfield, while 12 months ago, eyebrows were raised and furrowed when Ibrahima Konate was the sole arrival.
So it comes as no surprise to Klopp to find he is once again hearing that a midfielder is needed to complete a squad that sailed just a little too close to the wind in their quadruple pursuit just a few short weeks.
Liverpool may have lost just four of their 63 games last term, but that, to some, is proof enough that midfield general is an absolute must for the Reds to get the better of City domestically this coming campaign.
Jude Bellingham, of Borussia Dortmund, is of course the one who many have championed as that player to turbo charge Klopp's somewhat new-look Liverpool to greatness once more and the Reds boss himself admits he counts as one of the England international's many admirers.
"He’s not on the market, so that’s the first problem with that player," Klopp said about interest in Bellingham. "Well, the only problem with that player!"
If the Reds have moved the 19-year-old to the top of their shortlist as far as midfield additions go, there is an acceptance that Dortmund are unwilling to enter into talks around a reasonable and realistic price given the loss of star striker Erling Haaland to Manchester City this summer.
Even if there is a legitimate theory behind the idea that Liverpool would face less competition this year than they will in 2023 for someone who can be a high-quality option in the centre of the park for the next decade and beyond.
But while many are continuing to air their belief that a central midfield is needed this year, Klopp, once more, sees it differently.
"I know that people think we should have signed a midfielder but actually, we have," Klopp told Sky Sports on Monday in Thailand. "Harvey Elliott, people forget that immediately. He was one of our best players in the first four matches of last season and then he got a bad injury. We brought in Fabio Carvalho who is incredibly interesting."
It's been counter argued that Liverpool's interest in Aurelien Tchouameni is proof that Klopp is not entirely content with the plethora of midfielders at his disposal, despite his firm public insistence to the contrary.
The significance of that interest has been perhaps been overplayed, however. Liverpool, it is understood, learned relatively early on that former Monaco star Tchouameni was destined only for Real Madrid this summer.
And as Klopp has so often proven, when a key position needs to be strengthened, there simply is no Plan B to the first-choice target. Expect the Bellingham talk to go on, but it is almost certainly going to be next year if there is to be any real developments on that front.
Instead, the Reds boss is looking only inwards as far as his midfield plans go and it was interesting to hear him talking up the talents of Academy graduate Tyler Morton this pre-season.
The Birkenhead-born Morton made his Premier League debut last term as COVID cases rose within the squad in December and he will have jetted off on his summer holidays a few weeks ago with his head held high after his nine appearances for Klopp's side across all competitions.
Operating in his more favoured box-to-box midfield role this summer, Klopp is already seeing the benefits for the 19-year-old.
Klopp said: "Tyler Morton definitely made the next steps, he played as a No.6 but he's an 8 so when you see him training now, he's absolutely exceptional.
"We have then all the other boys at the beginning of the season. We struggled a bit, Henderson was injured for a little bit, Thiago, Naby and all these kinds of things, so they all stayed fit and we have an incredible amount and also an incredible level. They are all what you need. Creative, hard-working, it's all in, we just have to use it in the right way."
Those comments come fresh on the heels of an initial praising of Morton's work when Klopp said: "By the way, Tyler Morton in training, incredible! He plays as a No.8 now, we don’t force him to play as a controlling No.6 in a Premier League game [like vs Spurs in December 2021]. He’s training as a No.8, and it’s like ‘wow, how good is that?!’"
Elsewhere in Liverpool's midfield future, the excitement is growing over Harvey Elliott as he gets a full pre-season schedule under his belt. The teenager was in fine form at the start of last term in the engine room before that horrendous ankle injury at Leeds stunted his progress severely and left him sidelined for months.
Klopp's enthusiasm over what the former Fulham youngster can bring is genuine and he will be expected to step up in what is hoped will be a first year in the senior set-up without a loan spell away or a long-term injury setback.
Fabio Carvalho offers another intriguing subplot to Liverpool's summer. The teenager joins from Fulham where he starred for last season's Championship winners mainly as an attacking midfielder. Given Klopp tends not to play with that type in his 4-3-3 system, it will be interesting to see where Carvalho is selected and how he is shaped by the coaching staff in the coming weeks and months.
"We cannot just do the same thing year in and year out," says Klopp. "We have a basis to build and that means we have to be more unpredictable again for other teams and that's possible because we have brought in other players. They have different skill sets and it will be really interesting how we can use that."
The transfer chatter will only intensify before the deadline passes, but if Klopp is certainly aware of it, it is an element of the summer months he is choosing to ignore.
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