Jurgen and Pep opting for traditional strikers
Nobody needs to be reminded how underwhelming the likes of Andy Carroll,
Christian Benteke and Mario Balotelli were at the club.
Those with long memories will cringe when they recall the brief Liverpool career of Sean Dundee.
Another big target-man of a striker, he managed just three games — where it was clear that he was not the answer.
So the hope is that Nunez is a Fernando Torres, rather than a Carroll or Benteke.
There are similarities in terms of pace and technique and a direct approach, and they both have that lean, hungry look.
Doubts
There are often doubts expressed over whether South Americans can settle in the north of England — and with some justification.
Just months into his mega-money move to Manchester United last season, there were reports that Argentine attacker Angel Di Maria wanted to move on. Juan Sebastian Veron never got to grips with life at United, and Carlos Tevez seemed to spend much of his time at Manchester City agitating for a move. In the Premier League era, Liverpool have signed their fair share of South Americans and with mixed results.
For every Luis Suarez, there’s been a Mark Gonzalez.
For every Javier Mascherano, a Sebastian Coates.
For every Philippe Coutinho, an Emiliano Insua. But the strike rate has been much greater from Firmino onwards.
At the start of the 1996/97 season, there were only five South Americans in the Premier League, and three of those were at Middlesbrough — Juninho, Emerson and Branco.
The others were Gus Poyet at Chelsea and Newcastle’s Faustino Asprilla.
Now all is changed, changed utterly.
Rest assured that many managers, scouts and the fashionable ‘transfer committees’ watched plenty of last summer’s Copa America.
Everyone wants to find the new Luis Suarez, Alexis Sanchez, or Sergio Aguero.
If Nunez can make anything like the same impact as his compatriot, Liverpool will be delighted.
They really need him to step up quickly, as all the signs are that Haaland will do just that at City.
He’s only just turned 22 so City may well have signed a goal machine for the next decade.
Signings
In any era, there are only a handful of such signings — ones that end up transforming the football landscape.
When Liverpool ruled the roost, the capture of Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and John Barnes made the most significant difference.