Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool made the first big move ahead of the imminent January transfer window.
Cody Gakpo had been strongly linked with a move to their old rivals down the East Lancs Road, but instead of Manchester United, the 23-year-old Dutchman will be playing his football at Anfield after sealing a move to Merseyside worth a reported initial £37million (€42m).
One of the other reasons it came as a surprise was all the talk around Liverpool's transfer activity being based on the midfield, an area where Jurgen Klopp has struggled for consistency both in terms of performances and availability.
However, with attacking pair Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz both out of action for the next two or three months at least, Klopp has focused on adding to his forward ranks instead, and on paper Gakpo is an interesting choice.
So, why have Liverpool turned to him in their bid to kick-start a disappointing campaign?
Dominating the Eredivisie
Gakpo settled well in the Dutch top-flight after coming through the ranks at PSV.
After making his debut as an 18-year-old in February 2018 against Feyenoord, he improved for goals year-on-year, eventually making 159 appearances, scoring 55 times and recording 50 assists for the club.
But it's since the start of the 2021-22 season that Gakpo has found another level, with no player having more goal involvements in the Eredivisie in that time than his 46 (21 goals, 25 assists). In fact, no other player in Europe's top 10 leagues has tallied both 20+ goals and 20+ assists over the same period.
Only Ajax's Dusan Tadic (44 involvements) comes close among Eredivisie players, having played seven more games than Gakpo (48 to 41).
His form earned him a spot in Louis van Gaal's Netherlands squad for Qatar 2022, where Gakpo became the first Dutch player to score in his first three World Cup games.
He did so from a centre-forward position, but Gakpo has primarily featured from the left of the attack for PSV, and that could be where he gets most of his minutes at Liverpool.
How he compares to Liverpool's attacking options
Despite playing as something resembling more of a classic number nine for the Oranje in Qatar, Gakpo was deployed from the left in the majority of his appearances for PSV this season.
But the fact he's been able to operate in different roles for PSV and the Netherlands will have been another tick for Klopp, who could opt to use Gakpo centrally if needed once Diaz and Jota return.
In the meantime, expect to see him on the left, with Mohamed Salah on the right and Darwin Nunez down the middle.
Both will look forward to playing with someone who can provide ammunition from a wide role, with all 14 of Gakpo's assists in games he has started this season for PSV coming from him playing on the left.
But beyond his output, Gakpo looks a good stylistic fit for the Reds. Quick, dynamic and good on the ball, he possesses the ability to both beat his marker and stretch play.
Salah is, of course, Liverpool's key man in attack, but Gakpo's arrival should relieve some of the burden on the Egyptian.
Of Liverpool's forwards, only Salah has been more creative than Gakpo this term, creating 2.2 chances from open play per 90 minutes in the Premier League, while the Dutchman has managed 2.0 per 90 in the Eredivisie.
Gakpo actually averaged more shots per 90 than Salah (4.1 to 3.6), though that's perhaps to be expected given he was PSV's talisman, and the comparative strength of the Eredivisie in relation to the Premier League should also be taken into account.
Nevertheless, it highlights Gakpo's positive mentality and the sort of attacking intent he should bring to a frontline that has been erratic this season.
Having the right mentality can be a vital element when it comes to thriving under Klopp at Liverpool considering the intensity they play at when at 100 per cent. That goes beyond chance creation and shot frequency, though.
Perhaps one of the main attributes that attracted Liverpool to Gakpo is this regard is his ability to win the ball high up the pitch, a key part of their high pressing approach.
Gakpo has won the ball in the attacking third 0.8 times per 90 this season in the league, more than any of Diaz (0.6), Salah, Roberto Firmino (both 0.5), Nunez (0.4) or Jota (0.0).
Can Gakpo fill old shoes?
One player who particularly excelled in such an intense role for Liverpool was Sadio Mane, who left the club for Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
Many have argued that one of the key reasons for the Reds' inconsistent form this campaign is the absence of Mane, with Diaz and Nunez both considerably different players to the Senegal star.
Gakpo could hardly be considered a Doppelganger either, though aspects of his style can be compared to Mane, who won the ball back in the attacking third 0.7 times per 90 in the Premier League last season.
The Dutchman's numbers this year are almost all ahead of Mane's from last year, though again the strength of both leagues must be taken into account.
Mane averaged 2.7 dribbles per 90 with a 54.7 per cent success rate. His frequency of 0.3 big chances created per 90 was way down on Gakpo's 1.0 average this term, while the former Red tallied 3.1 shots each game.
He scored 16 goals in 34 league games last season before departing Anfield, but provided just two assists, so in Gakpo Liverpool arguably have someone more adept at being able to both score and provide.
The pressure will be on Gakpo straight away as there is a gaping hole on the left of Klopp's attack until Diaz and Jota return, but if his career trajectory and numbers are anything to go by, it's reasonable to think he can have a similar impact to the one Diaz had when the Colombian arrived from Porto last January.
It is, at the very least, a statement of intent as Liverpool look to recover their season.
Liverpool 1-0 Real Betis: Szoboszlai gets Slot era up and running
Dominik Szoboszlai's goal was the difference as Arne Slot's first game in charge of Liverpool with spectators present ended in a 1-0 win over Real Betis in Pittsburgh.
Liverpool lost 1-0 in a behind-closed-doors meeting with Preston North End last week, but they were victors in sweltering conditions when their pre-season tour of the United States got under way on Friday.
Szoboszlai scored the only goal after 34 minutes, stroking his finish past Adrian after Mohamed Salah slipped a pass through to the Hungary international.
That goal came four minutes after Curtis Jones was forced off through injury, being replaced by 17-year-old Trey Nyoni.
Former Reds goalkeeper Adrian denied Conor Bradley as a strong Liverpool side chased a second, while Harvey Elliott nodded wide from a Kostas Tsimikas cross.
After Slot rang the changes with 63 minutes gone, Kaide Gordon missed Liverpool's best chance to make it 2-0 by dragging his effort wide, but it did not matter as a controlled performance saw the Reds home.
Data Debrief: Reds in cruise control
Slot had been expected to bring a slightly more measured approach than the "heavy metal football" preached by his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, and that was on full display on Friday as Betis were held at arm's length.
Liverpool enjoyed 62.7% of the possession throughout the match, though Slot will be looking for more penetration when they face Arsenal in the next game of their tour on Wednesday, having only recorded 12 touches in the penalty area to Betis' 10.
Slot's Liverpool success will be measured by trophies, says McAllister
Gary McAllister says Arne Slot must be prepared to aim high by targeting trophies if he is to be successful with Liverpool.
The Dutchman is set to begin his first season in charge of the Reds after being appointed as Jurgen Klopp's successor in May.
Liverpool enjoyed a trophy-laden spell under the German, winning their first-ever Premier League title, as well as a Champions League, a Club World Cup, a Super Cup, an FA Cup and two EFL Cups.
However, Slot was no stranger to success while at Feyenoord, leading the team to the Eredivisie title in 2022-23 before lifting the KNVB Cup in April during his final season with the club.
McAllister, who won five trophies in the two years he spent at Liverpool, says Slot's success will be determined by the silverware he collects.
"Liverpool is a club that's synonymous with winning, and when you don't win you fail," McAllister told Stats Perform.
"When there's a new management team, you're given a little bit more time, but the facts are Liverpool's target, I felt, and as a player that played against them for most of his career, the targets that Liverpool set, you go into every tournament looking to win it.
"You try to win every game and that's the expectation of the club and that's what makes it a very special club."
Klopp spent nine years at Liverpool, breaking club records as his team pushed for trophies on a regular basis.
The Reds enjoyed a club-record 68-match unbeaten run at Anfield over nearly four years in the Premier League between April 2017 and January 2021.
Klopp also oversaw three of the four most prolific seasons in Liverpool's history, including the club-record total of 147 goals scored in 2021-22.
Slot has admitted he has "big shoes to fill", but McAllister believes the 45-year-old will be able to live up to the high expectations left behind by Klopp.
"Arne arriving at the club, following Klopp, realising that it's such a difficult job anyway, but to follow somebody who's done particularly well at the club over an eight, nine-year period is going to be tough, and I don't think the new manager is under any illusions," he added.
"What I would say is he's a man that seems to be a very strong character, good personality, and he's just got to come in and be his own man and trust what he does.
"He's done very well in his previous managerial career and coming to Liverpool I feel is a natural progression in the levels of the game that he's worked at.
"So, everybody at the club will be deeply backing him and be right behind him, he'll have amazing support."
Liverpool's first pre-season game under Slot ended in a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End last week before the players flew out to the United States for a three-game tour.
They are also only one of two Premier League clubs yet to conduct any business in the transfer window so far, but McAllister urged fans to be patient with Slot while he gets settled in his new role.
"Whenever there's a change at a club, I think the fans have got to realise that it does take time for a new manager, a new coaching group to come in and get their ideas over to the players," he said.
"There's got to be a modicum of patience, but at Liverpool, expectation levels are very, very high and sometimes, in professional soccer, in elite soccer, patience is something that most managers don't get.
"As much as the fans have got to be aware that everything is new and there are new ideas, Arne and the players will want to get off to a quick start.
"I feel that this pre-season tour is going to help them start the season against Ipswich Town very strongly. I feel the games that they've got here in the US, here in Pittsburgh against Betis, and then we go to play Arsenal and Manchester United, the build-up is pretty good."
Jones 'happiest he's ever been' at Liverpool under Slot
Curtis Jones says he is "probably the happiest he's been" since Arne Slot's arrival at Liverpool.
Jones was first promoted to the first team by Jurgen Klopp in September 2019, but despite going on to make 133 appearances for his boyhood club, he failed to nail down a place in the German's starting line-up after that.
Last season, the 23-year-old made 36 appearances in all competitions, more than in any other season, netting five goals as Liverpool won the EFL Cup and finished third in the Premier League.
Now, with a new manager at the helm, Jones believes Slot's more patient approach will suit him better, allowing him to secure a regular starting spot.
"[Slot's] amazing. It's probably the happiest I've been," Jones told reporters during their pre-season camp.
"As a style of play, it suits me. It is a clear plan. Arne is fully involved in the training, he coaches us a lot, he's big on the finer details.
"He knows it's going to take a bit of time because it's a big change. I came around the team as a young lad. I always had a way of playing, but I had to adapt and change.
"It wasn't anything I couldn't do. But this now is more me. I can get on the ball more. I can 'do me' more.
"My way of playing has always been to get on the ball and play, help the team, and be comfortable on the ball.
"I then came around a team who had world-class lads on the wing and up front. The centre-mids were always more like runners, more disciplined.
"Now the midfielders are going to be the heart of the team. In terms of our build-up, we have to be more calm and play more as a team.
"We're not in a rush to attack. We want to have the ball and just break teams down. In the past, it was kind of a rush. It was a bit too direct; it was up and down. Now Arne wants us to have all the ball and completely kill teams."
Liverpool are in the United States for their three-game pre-season tour, starting with Real Betis on Friday.
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