Alexis Mac Allister: Liverpool's £35m bargain buy from Brighton is the Premier League's signing of the season

Even accounting for the agreed £20 million ($25m) in potential add-ons, Klopp knew Liverpool were getting a bargain when they activated the £35m ($45m) release clause in Mac Allister's contract at the Amex. "He was a player that I desperately wanted," the Reds boss admitted. "Thank God we got him!"

The speed with which Liverpool's former sporting director Julian Ward moved helped conclude the deal shortly after the 2022-23 season ended - as did the club's positive and longstanding relationship with his agent, Juan Gemelli, who was involved in Philippe Coutinho's move to Anfield in 2013.

It was strange, though, that the Reds didn't face stiffer competition from the likes of Manchester United for a proven Premier League player who had just top-scored for Brighton as they qualified for Europe for the first time in the club's history - and, even more significantly, starred alongside Lionel Messi as Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar six months previously.

Despite Klopp's joy at landing one of his top transfer targets, he wasn't entirely sure how quickly Mac Allister would settle at Anfield, given the No.10 was just one new part in a completely overhauled engine room. Klopp thought he might take time to get used to "the different environment" and a "slightly different role".

Mac Allister had zero issues settling into his new surroundings, as he quickly clicked with Liverpool's existing South American contingent, and gelled with the rest of the dressing room because of his already-fluent English.

However, during the early weeks of the season, many wondered whether he was really suited to the No.6 role in which he was being deployed by Klopp. It appeared counter-productive, as if it were restricting Mac Allister's attacking qualities.

He admitted himself he hadn't expected to be given a deeper role at Anfield. "It was clearly not the [original] idea," Mac Allister said in February. "But things changed. At the beginning of the season, we didn't have a proper No.6, so I had to do the job."

And he got better and better at it.

By the midway point of the season, Klopp was revelling in the fact that Mac Allister had established himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

"You (journalists) can all tell me what you want but he is an outstanding six on the ball - better than any other six you can imagine," the German said after Mac Allister's remarkable ability to retain possession, no matter the pressure, proved invaluable during a torrid first half for his team-mates at Bournemouth.

In his very next Premier League outing, at home to Chelsea, Mac Allister put on a midfield masterclass against Moises Caicedo, making a show of his former Brighton team-mate, who had chosen to join Chelsea over Liverpool last summer.

It was a complete performance. Mac Allister wasn't just his typically composed self on the ball; he was excellent off it too, winning possession back for his team time and time again.

What we're seeing now, though, are the benefits of putting such a complete midfielder slightly further forward.

The understandably belated emergence of Wataru Endo as Liverpool's best option in front of the back four (it took Fabinho a long time to master the most difficult role in a Klopp side) has allowed Mac Allister to play as a No.8 - and the results have been spectacular. Three of Mac Allister's four Premier League goals this season, and four of his five assists, have arrived in his last six games.

Nobody at Liverpool is in the least bit surprised, though. The players knew from Mac Allister's first training session that he was blessed with Andrea Pirlo-like precision and vision.

"I really like these kinds of players, I have to tell you," Diogo Jota said during pre-season. "They just see these passes. It's almost like you just need to make the run and they will see it."

Both De Zerbi and Klopp attribute that keen perception of the play to Mac Allister's father Carlos, a former Argentina international who used to analyse games with his young son.

"I cannot thank the dad enough for that knowledge and education," Klopp admitted. "The way Macca plays his position is very, very special. He is super-smart and his contribution to all our play is extremely important."

There's no disputing that claim. He has won more tackles in this season's Premier League than any of his team-mates (39) and ranks second at Anfield for possession won (149), duels won (143), interceptions (30), touches (1869) and successful passes (1288). Unsurprisingly, he's not made a single error leading to a shot - let alone a goal.

As Liverpool get ready for Sunday's massive match against Manchester United, Mac Allister has also established himself as one of his team's most dangerous attacking threats, as he so emphatically underlined with Thursday's stunning strike against Sheffield United - his 10th goal involvement in his last 11 outings.

He's still able to drop into the pocket and launch the ball like a quarterback towards the likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz, but his increasingly frequent forays into the final third are causing opponents all sorts of problems. Last Sunday's win over Brighton was a case in point, with Mac Allister picking out Mohamed Salah in a crowded penalty area for the game-winning goal.

De Zerbi admitted afterwards that his former charge has taken his game to a whole other level at Anfield, becoming "a great, great player" - and he's not wrong. Mac Allister may have moved further forward in recent weeks, into tighter spaces where it's trickier to hold onto possession, yet he's still not putting a foot wrong.

"I've never seen someone retain the ball so well," Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley told the club's official website. "He's so calm and so composed. He's just a wonderful footballer and a joy to play with. I can't praise him enough, to be honest."

Klopp is also running out of superlatives for the multi-talented midfielder. Since trying to nickname Mac Allister 'Gary', he's also called him "a rhythm-giver", "a difference-maker" and "a football doctor". At this stage, he may as well add 'signing of the season' to the list. We may have all touted Mac Allister as a bargain buy last summer but, as Klopp has correctly pointed out, he has "fulfilled all of our expectations - and more!"