"There is no ceiling for Newcastle. Congratulations. Some other clubs have ceilings. We cannot act like them. It is not possible."

How times change.

Those were the words of then Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in October 2022.

Less than three years later, his successor Arne Slot has just overseen the biggest spend by a club in a transfer window.

And they have taken Newcastle's prize asset Alexander Isak for a British record £125m fee as part of their £415m summer outlay.

Newcastle, it turns out, were ultimately the ones with the ceiling.

Klopp also famously criticised Manchester United for spending £89m on Paul Pogba, saying the day football players cost £100m would be the day "I'm not in a job any more".

Well, Liverpool spent £100m on two players in the same window.

The Slot era is certainly different to Klopp's.

Why did such a shift in transfer policy happen at Anfield? The answer is a coming together of a few different circumstances…

Stockpiled resources created a large war chest

Last summer, a deal to buy Martin Zubimendi, who has since signed for Arsenal, collapsed. But Liverpool decided, rather than splash out on targets not at the top of their list, to hold their nerve.

As a result, Slot's only signing was Federico Chiesa for an initial £10m.

It's worth bearing in mind too that, in the most recent three-year cycle, Liverpool have spent less than any other club in what might still be considered the Premier League's big six. This is a key factor - as compliance with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules are monitored over three-year periods.

Club insiders also point to the club's commercial growth, with the most recent accounts showing an increase in revenue of £36m to £308m. This represented two firsts: Liverpool passing the £300m landmark and surpassing Manchester United in this aspect for the first time.

A transfer war chest was building up.

And that was before any sales were factored in - with Liverpool selling more than £200m worth of players this summer, including Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Jarell Quansah.

Liverpool's goal to capitalise on Premier League title win

Going into last season, it was well documented that Liverpool were not the favourites to win the league.

But Slot oversaw a phenomenal title triumph, driven on the back of his inheritance from Klopp and his own expertise in driving on the team to greater heights.

Sources say that the club wanted to capitalise on this success by spending the money they had built up.

They felt this was a time to take advantage of the fact that, as champions, they would be more attractive to potential signings.

"Ambition and opportunity comes together at a time when the club is at its strongest," a source said.

First up was Florian Wirtz for £100m, which could eventually be worth £116m.

Slot was also keen to evolve the team and their style of play - the driving factor in signing the German playmaker, beating Bayern Munich and Manchester City to a deal.

There were other matters that needed sorting in terms of the playing staff. A replacement was needed for Trent Alexander-Arnold, gone to Real Madrid for a small fee just before the expiry of his contract.

Jeremie Frimpong arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for 35m euros (£29.5m) on a five-year deal.

And on the other side of the defence, Liverpool were keen for a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, the Scotland captain who turns 32 this season.

Milos Kerkez, 21, arrived for £40m from Bournemouth.

Ibrahima Konate's contract is up at the end of the season. He has rejected offers of a new deal and has been linked with Real Madrid.

Liverpool had long identified Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi as a potential signing to either complement their defensive resources or replace Konate.

Guehi's contract is also up at Palace at the end of the season, and Liverpool agreed a £35m fee.

The transfer was so advanced that Guehi started his medical in London, a five-year contract ready to sign.

Liverpool couldn't envisage what was about to happen, however, as Palace effectively reneged on an agreement to sell, because of difficulty in signing an experienced replacement.

The collapse of the deal has, arguably, left Liverpool short of an experienced centre-back following Quansah's exit to Bayer Leverkusen.

Konate and Virgil van Dijk will once again be required to provide the foundation of Liverpool's trophy challenge.

Time will tell how the collapse of the Guehi deal will impact their season.

Isak arrives as the window closes

The Isak saga picked up early in the summer, but was not announced until two hours after Monday's 19:00 BST transfer deadline.

Liverpool made a first bid on 1 August. The £110m offer was swiftly rejected.

What happened next is not totally clear.

Just over two weeks ago, during the Professional Footballers' Association's annual awards ceremony, Isak put out an Instagram post saying Newcastle had broken promises to him by not letting him leave.

Newcastle hit back at their own player. But then both parties went quiet.

Sources told BBC Sport that Liverpool would not bid again until Newcastle signed two strikers.

And this was exactly what happened.

At some point, there must have been a coming together between those in charge of the two clubs to work out the way forward.

On Saturday, Newcastle completed the club record signing of striker Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart for £69m.

In the early hours of deadline day, it was revealed that Liverpool's £125m bid had been accepted.

Some 21 hours later, after Newcastle announced a deal worth £55m for Brentford forward Yoane Wissa, Isak's move was finally confirmed and the British record was broken.

It meant Liverpool have spent close to £200m on strikers after buying Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike in July.

They didn't go into the summer with a need to sign two forwards. Their close season, though, was overshadowed by the most devastating news.

Their beloved Portuguese forward Diogo Jota died in a car crash in July.

It is first and foremost a tragedy for his family and friends.

It also meant Liverpool had to replace him in their team.

They've done that, but Jota will never be forgotten by the club.

And it can't be overlooked that for all the talk of record spending, the Reds are defending their title this season against the backdrop of immense grief and sadness.(BBC)

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