Jurgen Klopp saw Joel Matip added to the injury list against Tottenham and with no fit senior centre backs remaining knew he had to act on deadline day.
That is where Schalke centre back Ozan Kabak comes in and he is now closing in on a loan - with an option to buy - to Anfield to ease a crisis that is threatening to undermine their title bid.
Kabak seems to have a special talent: catching the eye in big German teams struggling towards the foot of the Bundesliga table. First, it was Stuttgart and now it's Schalke.