Jude who?! Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai signings helping Liverpool fans forget all about Bellingham blow

Indeed, what really incensed the supporters was the claim that FSG had ended their interest in Bellingham for financial reasons, as if they had only just realised that Borussia Dortmund would demand a fee in excess of £100 million ($120m) for the most south-after midfielder on the market.

Consequently, their entire pursuit of the 'perfect' signing felt like a complete waste of time, time that really should have been spent reinforcing the midfield last summer, ahead of a campaign in which Klopp's engine room inevitably - but abruptly - ran out of steam.

Liverpool tried to sign Aurelien Tchouameni but ended up with Arthur Melo. Unsurprisingly, they paid a heavy price. The team that had come within two games of a quadruple the season before failed to even finish in the top four of the Premier League, meaning the Reds failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.

There was, therefore, an understandable fear among the fans that Liverpool would fail to land any of their top transfer targets this summer.

However, less than three weeks since the window opened, they have already significantly strengthened their midfield with two excellent additions - and for roughly the same amount of money that Real Madrid paid for Bellingham.

The acquisition of Alexis Mac Allister for just £35m ($44m) is the signing of the summer so far. The Argentine was one of the best players in the Premier League last season, a key cog and the top scorer (10 goals) in a wonderful Brighton team that qualified for Europe for the first time in the club's history.

Even more impressively, he played a pivotal role in his country's World Cup win. Mac Allister was left on the bench for the duration of Argentina's shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their tournament-opener, but he started every game thereafter, scoring the vital opening goal in the must-win group-stage clash with Poland and providing the assist for Angel Di Maria's strike in the final win over France.

What really stood out in Qatar, was Mac Allister's almost total understanding of the game at the age of 24, which enables him to interpret a variety of roles. "It was so special watching him during the World Cup," Brighton attacking midfielder and former Liverpool favourite Adam Lallana told The Big Interview podcast in January. "Not playing to begin with but then him proving himself... and playing so well that there's no way this guy doesn't play!

"Then, by the end, to see (Lionel) Messi looking for him... Messi was looking for him to link, to play! Alexis' role was to almost mirror where Messi was. Whether Messi was deep, he would take high positions. If Messi was high, he would drop. That just shows how much he understands - his football intelligence. Okay, he's not the quickest or the strongest, but he's so smart, like (Luka) Modric. He knows that football is faster than anyone, or anything."

Fellow new signing Dominik Szoboszlai is a little bit quicker than Mac Allister, but they are similar players in the sense that the Hungarian is a multi-talented midfielder of invaluable versatility.

According to Jesse Marsch, Szoboszlai's former boss at both Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, "As talent goes, there aren't many better players that can play his position. Some are strong, some are technical, some are good tactically, and some can defend well or run a lot. However, Dominik is special because he has all of these skills combined. Dominik is just as talented as Erling Haaland."

Klopp is clearly keen to avoid such bold statements, and that is wholly understandable. Liverpool may have paid £60m ($76m) for Szoboszlai, but he is still only 22. Then, there's the fact that the last midfielder the Reds signed from Leipzig, Naby Keita, has just left Anfield as arguably the most disappointing signing in the club's history - certainly in terms of hype.

Keita was meant to be perfect for Liverpool, a player capable of doing it all, and yet he ended up doing absolutely nothing. Injury didn't help, but there was also the fact that he wasn't very good.

Klopp's caution is unsurprising, then. "There is no pressure," the manager insisted. "Dominik is still a very young player. He has so much development ahead of him and this means it makes sense for us all to be patient and to give him the time and space to allow his talent to come through within our team."

It would be a shock, though, if Szoboszlai doesn't make a significant impact in his first year on Merseyside. He may well require a lengthy period of adaptation - like Fabinho, for example - but he is, as Klopp conceded himself, an impressive character, one used to dealing with pressure as the most exciting talent to come out of Hungary in years. He is already captaining his country and it was he who scored the goal that earned them a place at Euro 2020.

"These are proper positives and this is even before we even think about his qualities as a footballer," Klopp said. "I will not say too much about them at this stage except they are definitely the kind which will hopefully bring a lot of enjoyment and also help us to get results."

Indeed, Szoboszlai is a fast, hard-working set-piece specialist who is renowned for his long-range shooting - it's easy to see him becoming a fan favourite well before the season's end.

Of course, the expectation now is that Liverpool will complete the midfield overhaul by bringing in a more defensively-minded player before the start of the season, but there are no guarantees on that front.

Nice's Khephren Thuram has been repeatedly linked with a move to Anfield but it is believed that Liverpool's interest in the France international has cooled.

In recent days, there has also been talk of a move for Southampton teenager Romeo Lavia - but the reported asking price of £50m ($63m) could prove prohibitive.

And besides, Stefan Bajcetic, one of the revelations of last season, is expected to be fit for the start of the upcoming campaign, meaning that Liverpool are, in theory, well-stocked in the defensive midfield department, with Fabinho likely to remain first-choice anyway.

Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara have both been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia this summer and if either were to leave, that money could be reinvested in the squad, though most likely in acquiring cover for the backline.

Certainly, after months of anxiety among the supporters, the feeling is now that if an opportunity presents itself, the Reds' transfer team will take full advantage. Resignation has given way to optimism on Merseyside, with Liverpool navigating the market with the kind of conviction and speed that helped them become 'champions of everything' just three years ago.

There had been a fear among the fans that Liverpool's recruitment strategy might be hindered by the fact that Jorg Schmadtke was only installed as sporting director at the end of May, meaning there was an obvious risk of having to play catch-up during the summer window. The Reds have hit the ground running, though, and it's just as well.

What became very clear last season is that Bellingham wouldn't have solved all of Liverpool's problems, so blowing most of their budget on one superstar signing would have been folly for a club that is simply not operating on the same financial plain as Manchester City and many of their rivals. It was clear that it was an issue of both quality and quantity, meaning several top-class reinforcements were required.

Klopp, to his credit, had insisted all along, "There are a lot of good players out there, honestly, a lot of good players - and we are interested in all good players. Some of them will end up here." Two of them already have. Another could easily follow.

In that sense, Liverpool haven't just strengthened their squad, they've restored some of the fans' faith in the club. The Bellingham blow may have hit hard, but the Reds are recovering quicker than anyone expected.