To some, Liverpool's £45million capture of Diogo Jota last summer came out of left field.
The Reds had barely been linked to Jota before they agreed a deal with Wolves for the Portugal international in September..
Announced on the same weekend that Thiago Alcantara was brought to Anfield from Bayern Munich, Jota's arrival dded some much-needed strength in depth to Liverpool's frontline.
Given its execution, it was a transfer that was something of a trademark one for the club in the Jurgen Klopp era.
Or, rather more specifically, the Michael Edwards era.
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Since the former Portsmouth man became Liverpool's first-ever sporting director in November 2016, the Reds' recruitment has become the envy of football.
The strong move quietly, they say, and Liverpool's way of operating has become slick and stealthy since Edwards and Klopp started to work in tandem.
On Edwards' watch, the Reds have gone from a team challenging for a top-four place to one that has won the Champions League, Premier League and Club World Cup.
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Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Fabinho, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk have all become integral parts of the team since Edwards got his promotion from technical director.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri were all added to the roster during his time in office, too.
And while Edwards' reputation has soared to mythical proportions among the fanbase over the past five years, the reality is a bit more straight forward and all the more impressive.
The relationships that Edwards has built across his time as sporting director have been instrumental to Liverpool's success.
It was his good working rapport with Jota's Gestifute agency that smoothed the path for the forward's switch from Molinuex.
Liverpool remained in regular contact with those at Gestifute as they kept tabs on Jota's development, while assistant boss Pep Lijnders was able to lean on contacts at Porto to gain some glowing feedback himself.
Edwards' healthy association with the Portuguese agency was important to securing the sudden and shock £40million deal for Fabinho in 2018 too.
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Signed three years ago last week, the Fabinho agreement was another that came like a bolt from the blue for Reds fans who hadn't even heard the Monaco man linked prior to joining just hours after the 2018 Champions League final defeat.
Such an agreeable relationship with contacts is how Liverpool have been able to largely keep a lid on their dealings behind the scenes.
Edwards is also known to have fostered a friendship with those who work within the Red Bull football network over the last few years.
It helped Liverpool strike an unusual deal for Naby Keita in August 2017, one which would see him join 11 months later for around £52m from RB Leipzig.
Edwards' closeness with his counterpart, Christoph Freund, was key to establishing the little-known release clause of £7m for Takumi Minamino at Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.
As other clubs circled around the Japan international, the Reds agreed a deal with the Austrian side to bring Minamino to Anfield under their rivals' noses.
Such an affinity between the two organisations meant that Edwards and co were granted access to the Red Bull Academy, in Liefering, to use as a reference point in the construction of Liverpool's £50m AXA Training Centre, which opened last year.
Healthy talks with Roma helped Liverpool land Salah and Alisson in 2017, respectively, while a bond with Kostas Tsimikas' agent allowed the Reds to beat Napoli and Nice to the left-back last year.
It is not just Edwards' personable approach that has enabled Liverpool to build the squad they have, however.
When the club was forced to beat a hasty retreat over their pursuit of Virgil van Dijk in June 2017, the Dutchman would remain at Southampton for a further six months.
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During that time, it was FSG president and Liverpool's day-to-day owner, Mike Gordon, who helped build bridges to the south coast.
Between early June and late December, Gordon was able to regain the trust and faith of his opposite number, Ralph Krueger, before a blockbuster £75m fee was paid at the turn of 2018.
James Milner's arrival at Liverpool, completed six years ago this week, was made easier by the presence at Anfield of Manchester City's former European scout, Barry Hunter, who knew the midfielder well from his days at the Etihad.
It was understood Brendan Rodgers was not immediately keen on the veteran before he was persuaded by chief scout Hunter and head of recruitment Dave Fallows, both of whom knew Milner personally.
And after plenty of talks with the Red Bull organisation over the likes of Keita and Minamino, the Reds once more opened up the lines of communication with their recent capture of Ibrahima Konate from Leipzig.
This time, however, cordial negotiations were kept to a minimum as Liverpool met the France Under-21 international's £36m buyout clause.
The 22-year-old defender is viewed as a long-term solution to the centre-back role at Anfield and will join on a five-year deal at the beginning of next month.
Whatever is next for Liverpool in their summer recruitment drive, it is certain that Edwards' ability to strike up relationships across football will be vital to it.