It was a blockbusting deal that raised the odd eyebrow outside of Anfield.
Liverpool's whopping £75million outlay for Virgil van Dijk made him the world's most expensive defender in January 2018. It's a tag that endures to this day, as is the one that places him as the costliest Reds purchase in history.
For Jurgen Klopp, it didn't matter what it cost. The giant Dutchman was his man, so much so, he was prepared to wait it out, playing the long game of patience after the club had bungled the initial move.
Threats of a tapping-up complaint from Southampton brought about a hastily cobbled together apology and the Reds, with their tail between their legs, opted to cease and desist, heading to the hills to let the fervour subside in June 2017.
Van Dijk's explosive and very public demands to be sold later that summer did little to bring Liverpool back into the market, as they sat back and the Saints star remained at St Mary's.
Liverpool would eventually return towards the end of 2017, confirming the player would be a Red at the turn of the year, handing fans a belated Christmas present in the process.
Outside the Anfield bubble, scorn was placed all over the deal. Rivals fans scoffed and sneered at the sheer weight of numbers Liverpool were prepared to put down in an effort to solve their long-running defensive issues.
To some, the Reds were paying a significant premium for their botched efforts a few months prior and social media - as it usually is - was awash with inflammatory hot-takes, mocking Klopp and his team for the gigantic transfer.
"Southampton have got one hell of a deal," said Alan Shearer at the time. "Van Dijk is a good player, yes, but for £75m? No, he's not worth it at all."
Gary Neville also gave his thoughts, offering: "Over the last few years [Southampton] have lost some good players for good money but nothing at this level. It seems like a fantastic sell."
Over 18 months on, no-one doubts the value of the PFA Players' Player of the Year any more.
Back-to-back Champions League finals have been achieved through the rock-solid consistency of Van Dijk's performances at the heart of a previously much-maligned defence.
The transformation of Liverpool's showings at the back has been nothing short of incredible. The Reds ended the campaign with 21 clean sheets and just 22 Premier League goals conceded - the best in the division.
The Reds tasted just one defeat all season as they ran up the biggest points tally to never win the Premier League, finishing on 97, just one behind champions Manchester City.
A Champions League trophy in Madrid on June 1 was justification outside the club of the strides Liverpool have made since Van Dijk traded St Mary's for Anfield.
There is now very realistic talk of the Reds' No.4 fighting it out for the honour of winning the Ballon d'Or after becoming the first centre-back since John Terry to win the PFA award in 2005.
Van Dijk's success has even begun to transform the transfer market itself, with teams seemingly accepting that big money now needs to be paid for top defensive talent.
Take for example, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. The Catalan was - and no doubt still is - a huge admirer of Van Dijk's ability with City chiefs captured on their Amazon documentary All or Nothing last year discussing a possible move for the then Southampton star.
After missing out on Van Dijk, City would eventually plump for Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte, shelling out a club-record £57million to land the France international in the same month Liverpool signed the Dutchman.
It was further proof that defenders were starting to be viewed at the same level of importance as attack-minded players in football.
Another, more pointed example, is Manchester United and their ongoing attempts to find a player of similar ilk to Van Dijk.
The Red Devils have been locked in a seemingly forlorn hamster wheel, repeatedly attempting to find a linchpin of their own these past two summers.
It was much to Jose Mourinho's chagrin that Ed Woodward was unable to deliver his primary targets last year, and United are still mired in attempts to find that mythical centre-back 12 months on.
Latest reports linking them to Leicester's Harry Maguire have banded around figures ranging between £60m and £80m for the England international.
Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly is another whose future has been mentioned in the gossip columns with the Senegal star's value said to be worth around a similar figure to the one that brought Van Dijk to Anfield.
Crystal Palace's Aaron Wan-Bissaka has seen his value skyrocket this year, also. The young right-back's name is mentioned almost daily across the rumour mill this summer, with figures upwards of £50m quoted.
Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt is another in-demand centre-back who is the subject of dizzyingly high numbers.
Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are said to be slugging it out for the 19-year-old Netherlands starlet, with fees upwards of £60m reported for the talented teen.
Such eye-watering numbers indicate just how valuable defenders now are in the modern game, and no team more than Liverpool is better placed to impart such wisdom.
The signing of Van Dijk was a game-changer for Klopp's Liverpool - and it was a world-record deal that is still seeing its after-effects ripple through the sport.
Just over two years after Liverpool's sharp retreat, Van Dijk has proven to be worth the wait.
