For a club that has typically embraced a more restrained approach to transfer spending over the past decade, Liverpool's acquisition of Jeremy Jacquet this summer will push their outlay beyond £500million across two years. The 20-year-old centre-back will arrive from Rennes for £60m following an agreement finalised late in the winter window this week.

Combined with last summer's squad refresh and the 2024 signing of Federico Chiesa from Juventus, the Reds have now invested approximately £510m, including add-ons. It represents a substantial figure for a head coach and sporting director partnership that have only officially been at the club since June 1, 2024.

Yet if one key conclusion emerged from this week's latest 'Reds Roundtable' episode, it's that Arne Slot and Richard Hughes are clearly united in their broader strategic vision for Anfield.

Those at Liverpool, particularly Slot, will consistently point to the revenue generated during a busy summer window that brought roughly £230m back into the club's accounts when discussing expenditure under their stewardship.

The £35m arrangement agreed with Aston Villa for Harvey Elliott's loan move on transfer deadline day, though, appears unlikely to materialise at this point.

The impending arrival of Jacquet is a testament to Liverpool's ongoing dedication to future-proofing and planning for the mid to long-term.

While Slot admitted he was eager for reinforcements for the remainder of this season before the transfer window shut, the head coach has tried to explain how the recruitment department operates in what remains a relatively fresh setup behind the scenes.

"If it (the Reds' Roundtable) has helped for people to understand not only I say it but the situation because they caught that synergy or whatever, then it is a good thing," Slot said. "I can keep saying it but the moment you see it you probably believe it more. I don't know what the reaction is [from the fans].

"I said many times, how good his (Hughes) work has been in the last one and a half to two years. This is shown in the signings he made and another time now with Jeremy Jacquet. He's done a great job for the club but also for me.

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

"Let's start again by saying that we have signed a lot but a lot have left as well. That is not only Richard and me. That is a big club and a club that is run in a way, a lot of people put a lot of work into it.

"We do not think let's sign a player tomorrow and we will start with it today. The work that goes into that is so detailed in this club that there is a long, long period to go. I don't watch a football match and say: 'Oh, he's a good player, why don't we try to sign him?'".

"That's not the way we work over here, there is a lot of data and scouting involved and then a list is brought down to one, two or three players and then that is the moment that I get also involved.

"There are a lot of talks. If we do a signing, that is never one week's work let's put it that way. A lot of work goes into it all within the constraints of the model we have at this club."