For Liverpool, they were two transfers that encapsulated the chaos perfectly.
Four years ago, there was civil unrest and warring factions that left supporters counting the cost.
In the red corner, there was Brendan Rodgers, the then Liverpool boss who was desperately attempting to navigate his way through the most difficult period of his reign.
Fresh from a humiliating, chastening and unthinkable 6-1 defeat to Stoke, Rodgers was attempting to rebuild his stock at Anfield.
Coaches like Mike Marsh and Colin Pascoe had been axed with the Northern Irishman attempting to drive home a new strategy after losing his way somewhat.
He had identified Christian Benteke as his big-money, stand-out summer signing, bringing the powerful frontman to the club from Aston Villa for a whopping £32.5m fee.
In the summer of 2015, only Andy Carroll was bought for more money in Liverpool's storied history and the purchase of the Belgian striker was a massive gamble.
Rodgers knew it, the fans knew it and senior officials inside the club did too. It was simply a roll of the dice Rodgers thought was necessary.
In the opposite corner was Liverpool's fabled transfer committee, led by Michael Edwards, Barry Hunter and Dave Fallows.
Their choice of marquee signatures was a little known Brazilian attacker by the name of Roberto Firmino. The extensive scouting produced reams of analysis and data, leaving the committee convinced.
The Hoffenheim forward was a £29m signing the club wouldn't regret.
The arrivals of both Benteke and Firmino were neon-lit signs to those on the outside that the club was not all together on the same page.
There was a fractious relationship between the manager and team employed to recruit and things suffered as a result.
Muddled strategies left the club unable to snap out of their malaise under Rodgers as both Benteke and Firmino toiled to little avail.
To those from the outside looking in, the house of cards at Anfield was in need of a reshuffle, with a lack of clarity bogging Liverpool down and stopping them from kicking on.
Club owners FSG saw little bang for their buck and Rodgers paid with his job, getting fired just moments after a 1-1 draw with Everton in October 2015.
The arrival of Jurgen Klopp re-opened the lines of communication between Liverpool's manager and the transfer committee.
The Reds boss, unlike his predecessor, was willing to loosen his grip across certain avenues of the club, freeing Edwards and his team up to work in a more relaxed environment.
The results have been spectacular for everyone concerned.
Since the summer of 2016 - a year on from Rodgers' last transfer window as Reds boss - Liverpool have painstakingly recruited a string of players who have helped elevate the club back towards the very summit of the game.
Sadio Mane, Gini Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabinho all played important roles in helping Liverpool win their sixth European Cup this season.
In June 2019, the Reds' recruitment team is the envy of Europe.
Edwards' mythical reputation among supporters sees him regularly championed as one of the finest and hard-working sporting directors in elite-level football.
The data-driven model Liverpool adopt to unearth and research potential targets means no stone is left unturned in their deliberation.
Characters, as well as talent and ability, are assessed in fine detail to limit the expensive miss-steps that previously plagued the club so often.
Where once there was chaos, there is now only clarity and Klopp has been key to helping Edwards and his team flourish.
The Liverpool boss has so far kept his powder dry in the market, but is is known that chief scouts Hunter and Fallows work two transfer windows ahead at the club.
That means should Klopp give the green light on any player this summer, the work has been carried out and the club can strike fast.
It's what has enabled them to emphatically wrap up deals for players such as Fabinho and, to a lesser extent, Alisson last year.
It is why a sudden spring into transfer action might not be too far away at Anfield.
And it's why the previously much-maligned committee is now revered throughout the game.
