Andoni Iraola has built a reputation for extracting maximum output from the players available to him, a quality that served him exceptionally well during his time at Bournemouth.
The Spanish manager lost almost his entire backline last summer yet still guided the Cherries into the Europa League, a remarkable achievement by any measure.
His task was made even harder when Antoine Semenyo departed for Manchester City in January, depriving Iraola of one of his most influential attacking weapons.
Despite that loss, Iraola oversaw a remarkable unbeaten run at Bournemouth, with the club’s first defeat following Semenyo’s sale not coming until the start of this season against City.
Now at Liverpool, Iraola faces a similar challenge in replacing a talismanic winger, with the departure of Mohamed Salah leaving a significant void on the right flank.
FSG have had months to prepare for life without Salah, yet the window is in danger of descending into chaos with the deadline fast approaching.
The situation has been further complicated by the injury to Hugo Ekitike, which has placed even greater pressure on the club to bring in attacking reinforcements before time runs out.
A deal for Victor Munoz was completed swiftly, and with Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha also in the squad, Liverpool are not entirely without options in the final third.
However, Liverpool’s pursuit of Bradley Barcola has dragged on considerably, with trepidation reportedly growing at the prospect of paying another fee in excess of £100m following recent costly disappointments.
Semenyo had scored and assisted 44 goals across 99 games under Iraola during their time together, illustrating just how significant a presence the Ghanaian was in the manager’s system.
FSG appear to have turned attention toward alternatives, with an offer of around £60m submitted for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, well below the club’s reported asking price of £80m.
The 22-year-old has emerged as a genuine target, but Brighton’s reluctance to negotiate at that level makes a deal appear increasingly difficult to complete.
Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr has also been considered, though a £50m offer for the Senegalese forward has already been rejected by Palace.
At such a late stage in the window, selling clubs hold considerable leverage, and Liverpool face a genuine race against time to secure the right flank reinforcement Iraola needs.