When Jurgen Klopp entered the Reds Lounge in Anfield's Centenary Stand for his Liverpool unveiling in October, there was immediate intrigue over who would be the first signing to follow him into the club.
The Reds had finally made a power move; while they've failed to lure top-level players to L4 in recent seasons, they had landed a managerial heavyweight who was high on the list of plenty of other elite sides.
Could Liverpool use the prestige of their new man in the dugout to attract a higher calibre of player to Anfield? The first signing under the German will be Marko Grujic, who was heavily pursued by Serie A side Inter.

Red Star Belgrade's 19-year-old starlet was also monitored by representatives of Roma, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Hamburg. The Reds held encouraging talks with Grujic, and personal contact from Klopp coupled with speedy negotiating from chief executive Ian Ayre ensured the Merseysiders ousted the competition to secure his services.
The midfielder possesses a wonderful mix of athleticism and power. He is an Under-20 World Cup winner and is expected to develop into one of Europe's golden boys.

Liverpool's policy of trying to unearth tomorrow's stars is crucial and commendable. However, the club cannot continue placing a major emphasis on the future without also remedying the lack of quality in the squad today. It is one of the contributing factors to the exits of their best players in recent years.
Excluding those out on loan, the Reds have 13 players aged 21 who are listed as first-teamers. There are a further 11 who are either 25 or below. With such a large chunk of the squad still developing, Liverpool's inconsistencies start to make sense.

This is not to suggest the transfer committee should target older players. They should, however, focus on supplementing the potential with already established star power.
There is not enough excellence amongst the senior players at Liverpool. The goalkeeping department, despite Klopp's protestations, is in desperate need of an upgrade; Simon Mignolet does not stack up to the likes of David de Gea and Petr Cech.

Worryingly, Liverpool want to "conquer the ball, every f***ing time," but have a keeper who is the antithesis of this approach.
He cannot dominate his area, and his inability to catch crosses or distribute efficiently is proving detrimental.
Adam Bogdan's error-riddled performance as Mignolet's deputy at Watford rehashed questions over why Liverpool did not target greater competition for the Belgian in the summer.
Martin Skrtel has been at the heart of the defence since 2008, but in recent seasons his presence in the starting line-up has been highlighted as a consistent weakness. Fellow centre-back Dejan Lovren, meanwhile, had a nightmarish start to his Anfield career. The Croatian has improved under Klopp, but there is a school of thought that neither player would make the back four of Liverpool's traditional rivals.

Kolo Toure's professionalism and likeability cannot be questioned, but the 34-year-old is no longer an elite defender. And as for Jose Enrique, there are more questions surrounding him than there are in a box of Trivial Pursuit.
In midfield, Lucas is the club's longest-serving player as well as a valued member of the squad. He acts as a father figure of sorts to the young Brazilians and Spaniards, and is still a good reader of the game. But the demands of a stacked fixture list versus how often he is able to deliver at his optimum level are at odds.

James Milner was brought in to replace some of the experience and leadership following Steven Gerrard's departure, but his start at the club has been underwhelming. While Adam Lallana has delivered some of his best football since switching St Mary’s for Anfield under Klopp, he is still largely inconsistent.
In Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool know they have a proven goalscorer. Over the past two campaigns, though, he has not been on the pitch often enough to positively impact their ambitions. The striker's injury problems seem endless and for yet another summer, the Reds will have to turn to the market to try and limit the reliance on the England international.

Christian Benteke was thought to be the £32.5 million answer in the previous off-season, but as many pointed out at the time, his style and that of the club's are completely different.

That Klopp has challenged the Belgian to prove he should be a regular starter points to another flawed acquisition up front. It may not be as disastrous as the addition of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert to offset Luis Suarez's move to Barcelona, but it is proving problematic.
Liverpool need to be smarter and more surgical in the window. They are not in the position to afford a £32.5m substitute, especially since Sturridge spends more time in the medical room at Melwood than on the training pitch.

The committee not only needs to target quality, but importantly the kind that marries with the club's footballing identity. In January 2013, Liverpool wrapped up deals for a striker who likes to play on the shoulder and a playmaker who thrives on feeding those runs into space. Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho complement each other perfectly at Anfield and there needs to be more of that sort of acumen with future purchases.

Grujic will be a welcome addition for the Merseysiders when he officially joins from Red Star in the summer. But as they did with Klopp, Liverpool have to make bolder, sharper statements if they want to properly elevate the squad.
The tracking of tomorrow’s talents while ignoring or losing today’s has not worked well for the club. And it never will.