Last January, a bolt from the blue move for a left-sided attacking player helped Liverpool surge to a successful season.
Luis Diaz checked in for £49m - and two domestic cups were collected as the Reds pushed Manchester City all the way in the league and reached the Champions League final.
Now it seems history is about to repeat itself, with Liverpool closing in on a similarly-priced deal to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven next month.
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The ECHO understands an initial fee of £37m is in place, with add-ons expected to take the full package well beyond £40m. Gakpo will soon travel to the UK for a medical with PSV already having confirmed "agreement on the upcoming transfer".
With injuries to Diogo Jota and Diaz keeping both stars sidelined for a significant amount of time, the Dutchman may well find opportunities to feature as soon as he is settled in at Anfield.
But what about a longer term plan for the 23-year-old attacker?
On the face of it, the Reds have plenty of cover in the position where he excels most. According to Whoscored, Gakpo has made the majority of his starts this season on the left in either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1.
His output from the wing is hugely impressive - six goals and nine assists from 12 appearances in a wide attacking midfield spot, plus a further six goals and five assists from seven games in a more advanced role as part of a 4-3-3.
If he can hit the ground running with anything remotely like those numbers, Gakpo will start paying back his transfer fee instantly.
Yet how might things look when Diaz and Jota are fully fit? Could there almost be an embarrassment of riches for the left-sided slot?
After all, Gakpo has seemingly revealed where he sees himself best employed. He told the Times back in October: "I’m a tall winger, but when you look for tall wingers there aren’t so many, so a few years ago I started watching [Theirry] Henry.
“He was more of a striker, but he was also tall and he liked to play off the side like me, so I watched clips of him and tried to learn something from him: the way he comes in from the left and shoots with his right.
“I don’t know if it’s working, but I tried to copy him a bit."
That only tells part of the story, however.
For starters, Jurgen Klopp will relish having even more options to call on. Opponents may further struggle to predict how Liverpool could line up, with several candidates for the left and central roles in attack.
And comments from Robin van Persie earlier this season suggest Liverpool may have a very versatile talent on their hands in Gakpo.
Speaking after a PSV victory in the Europa League, Van Persie told BT Sport: "[Gakpo] is a good player. He always finds a way in most games to have an influence, in terms of making an assist or a goal, he’s always dangerous.
"He is not really an out-and-out striker. He can play as a No.10, he can play on the wing, or as a false striker, he can play in those four positions in front.
"He has a good physique, he is strong, fast, he can dribble. He is an all-round player."
Out in Qatar in recent weeks, Gakpo lit up the international stage for the Netherlands - but he was occupying a central spot either as part of a forward two or in a No.10 style role just behind.
He became the first Dutch player to score a goal in all three group stage matches at a World Cup and earned huge plaudits for his performances.
Holland boss Louis van Gaal recently explained: "[Gakpo] did not want to play in the centre or at 10 but he did have to for me. Now he thinks I am a great head coach!
“Things can change but Cody has everything it takes to become a star. He has a wonderful personality to become a star player because he is open minded to anything and everything.”
The tactical possibilities for Klopp are clear - and Van Gaal's experiment may have done Liverpool a big favour.
While Gakpo's first tasks will be to adapt to a new league and slot in on the left while Diaz and Jota are absent, the next steps will be intriguing.
Could Diaz do a 'reverse Sadio Mane' and switch over to the right flank? Could Darwin Nunez and Gakpo be unleashed as an intimidating duo up front? Could the new recruit take up more of an advanced midfield role in a 4-2-3-1 with Nunez, Diaz and Salah around him?
There is plenty for Klopp to take a look at on the training pitches in Kirkby.
But just as significantly - there is plenty to keep opposition managers guessing and worrying about as a fresh threat emerges from the Reds.
That may apply in particular to Erik ten Hag and Manchester United, whose interest in Gakpo appears to have been thwarted by smart work behind the scenes at Liverpool.
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