The perception of agents in football isn't always a positive one.
While the mere mention of them to chairmen and managers may make their blood boil, in the modern game there is no escaping the fact that they have become a necessary part of the furniture for both player and clubs.
Having positive relationships with agents, however difficult it may be sometimes, is often beneficial for clubs, although sometimes a breakdown in relationship is near impossible to rectify. When 'super agent' Mino Raiola astonishingly branded Liverpool manager a "piece of s**t" when talking on the breakdown in relationship between the Reds and his client, Mario Balotelli, it placed Raiola on the Reds' list of agents they'd rather not have to deal with. Liverpool haven't taken a player of his since that spat, although they have been linked with his clients Erling Haaland and Stefan de Vrij.
On Friday it was confirmed that French defender Ibrahima Konate would be a Liverpool player next season, the Reds meeting the £36m release clause he had with RB Leipzig to land a deal that they had been pursuing for much of this year.
For the Reds it represented another deal done with familiar faces, with Konate represented by the London-based Stellar Agency, founded by Jonathan Barnett.
Stellar's current client list from a Reds perspective includes Ben Woodburn and Rhys Williams, while former Liverpool players Adam Lallana and Danny Ward are also among their clients list, a list that boasts names such as Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw and Jordan Pickford.
The relationship between Liverpool and Stellar is thought to be strong, with the Konate deal, which will go through on July 1, never really looking in doubt for the Reds despite the interest from elsewhere in the French international.
A deeper look through Stellar's client list shows how that simpatico relationship could be explored further.
Back in January Liverpool had made a move for Croatian defender Duje Caleta-Car from Marseille, a deal that was to be moved through swiftly by the Reds and Stellar only for Marseille to have a change of heart and decide not to sell the player, with Caleta-Car having been en route to the UK to get the move over the line.
Other names that have been linked with the Reds also feature on Stellar's client list, most notably that of 18-year-old Eduardo Camavinga and Jeremy Doku, 19, both at Rennes. Another Stellar client to have been linked with an Anfield switch is 18-year-old Icelandic starlet Isak Bergmann Johannesson at Swedish side IFK Norrkoping.
All three teenagers are hot property in Europe and clubs will be looking to pounce this summer with their value on likely to keep on growing. But Liverpool having a good relationship with Stellar in the here and now certainly won't have harmed their chances of making headway on these deals if the opportunity presents itself.
In his book 'Done Deal', sports lawyer Daniel Geey explained just why clubs keep agents on side, and the benefits to a relationship that can often be portrayed as being strained.
"Clubs need good agents for selling and buying players, and almost all clubs realise this," Geey explained.
"They build up relationships with trusted agents so that deals can be pushed through when they need to happen. This means clubs cannot afford to burn bridges with some agents.
"Agents understand who is in the market for a particular player and who can match up a player who is no longer needed at one club with an opportunity somewhere else. A selling club's chairman may not be aware of that opening. Agents have a fuller picture of the selling and buying market and can be of key value to selling as well as buying clubs.
"Agents are also aware of the moving parts of various deals that can cause chain reactions. Individual club executives may not have this visibility.
"Agents are unlikely to receive much sympathy from fans for the job they do, but in my experience they are very much a necessity for clubs and players alike, and many provide a skill set necessary to get a deal over the line."
Jorge Mendes' Gestifute agency has a strong working relationship with Wolverhampton Wanderers, something that the Molineux club leveraged to great effect on their ascent from the Championship to the Europa League, with players such as Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Fabio Silva, Rui Patricio and current Liverpool player Diogo Jota all arriving through that relationship.
There is a different way of working between Gestifute and Wolves, although it demonstrates the benefits of having a strong relationship with agents when attempting to secure talent.
If Liverpool can make best use of their own relationship with Stellar it could help them find an easier path to securing sought after players and jumping to the front of the queue.
