From quadruple-chasers to Premier League also-rans - Liverpool suffered quite the fall from grace in the space of six months. The suddenness of the slump took everyone by surprise, but there is no getting away from the fact that there had been concerns over the squad's strength in depth in midfield for some time, and there was always the fear that the decision to wait for Jude Bellingham was going to backfire badly.
So, an overdue overhaul was required this summer and Liverpool began brightly, by activating buy-out clauses to bring in Alexis Mac Allister, from Brighton, and RB Leipzig's Dominik Szoboszlai - two slick, attack-minded players with an eye for goal.
There was clearly still a gaping hole in the middle of the park, right in front of an undeniably brittle backline. With both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson having accepted money-spinning moves to Saudi Arabia and Thiago Alcantara once again recovering from injury, Jurgen Klopp had no experienced No.6 to call upon. Well, he's emphatically addressed that area now, with news breaking late on Thursday night that the Reds had agreed a British-record £110 million ($140m) deal to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
There are also ongoing concerns over the wisdom of playing Trent Alexander-Arnold as an inverted right-back, in light of the counter-attacking opportunities the 3-2-5 offensive shape offers opponents down the left flank, while the Reds really could do with another top-quality centre-back.
With Caicedo added, Liverpool do appear in a much stronger position to bounce back from last season's fifth-placed finish, although Europa League football is likely to prove far more of a distraction than a benefit. Klopp, though, insists that the 2020 champions will be a "contender" this season - and we'll soon find out if he's right...