An unwarranted degree of panic has broken out after the sale of Luis Suarez.
Some Liverpool fans have seen the sale of Luis Suarez as a sign of irreversible decline. Worries, too, have persisted about the calibre of those being brought to Anfield this summer and the fees the new recruits have been arriving for.
But, as many former Liverpool players have pointed out, how many times have the Reds been here before?
Michael Owen left for Spain almost exactly 10 years go. Liverpool survived.
Fernando Torres left for Chelsea in 2011. Liverpool survived.
And, even though the club struggled for a period without European football, the Anfield side also survived the sales of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, only to bounce back a few seasons later.
Indeed, Brendan Rodgers has guided the club back to the Champions League and, at the very least, challenging for titles. That will not go away overnight.
No one can directly replace a magical striker like the Uruguayan, immediately bringing 31 goals to the club. But what Liverpool can do is become stronger as a unit and less reliant on one star player.
That is where the likes of Rickie Lambert, Emre Can, Adam Lallana and possibly Lazar Markovic, Divock Origi and more come in. Rodgers knows what he wants in his players, and hasn’t that policy served him well already?
Before Daniel Sturridge came to Merseyside, he was a striker somewhat down on his luck. Hit and miss at best at Chelsea, with a reputation for being too greedy on the ball, the 24-year-old did not look like a 20-goal forward, let alone one who would be scoring for his country at the World Cup.
Philippe Coutinho, too, was one of Europe’s forgotten stars. You might have heard his name whispered as a teenage talent. But that was as far as it went for the Brazilian before he signed for Liverpool. Just look at him now.
Panic is not the answer. Disaster not the likely outcome. Everyone is allowed mistakes in the transfer market. After all, Iago Aspas does not look as though he will be challenging for a first-team place any time soon, but Rodgers and the Liverpool board have been going in the right direction for quite some time.
This summer, things may be being done a little differently. But there is no reason to suggest it will not ultimately prove to be another forward step for the club.
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