The feel-good factor on the red half of Merseyside took a hit in the weeks preceding the international break, with Liverpool suffering a controversial defeat against Tottenham Hotspur before drawing away against Brighton & Hove Albion, the games ending a seven-match winning streak.
Harkening back to last season, Liverpool were struggling to emulate their past successes under Jurgen Klopp's tutelage and trudged to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League.
A summer of transfer activity was requisite for restoration, and while there is optimism that the illustrious journey has resumed, there is further work to be done before this new-look Liverpool squad reaches its apotheosis.
Who are Liverpool interested in signing?
Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all joined the fold over the summer to bolster Liverpool's midfield, which was very much at the centre of last year's seasonal collapse.
The midfield exodus was necessary, and the transformative effect has been more than impressive, but Liverpool are still lacking a specialist No. 6 after Fabinho's £40m sale to Al-Ittihad, while the rebuild also came at the expense of strengthening the backline.
Klopp's surveying of the market is not limited to the aforementioned positions, however, with exciting murmurings of intrigue in a "world-class" talent in Jamal Musiala, as was claimed by journalist Christian Falk.
Indeed, reliable reports from Germany claim that the Reds could be poised to launch an offensive on the Bayern Munich dressing room, with sights set on prodigious talent Musiala.
With the requirement for defensive reinforcement now compounded by a shoulder injury sustained by Andy Robertson on international duty with Scotland – a setback that could keep him sidelined for multiple weeks – the club may well swoop for Goncalo Inacio in January.
According to 90min, the Anfield side deployed scouts to observe the dynamic Sporting CP defender in action during the international break.
Having started and assisted against Bosnia and Herzegovina during Portugal's 5-0 rout earlier this week, the 22-year-old looms to boast the perfect skills to complement Klopp's high-octane, swift-flowing system.
Having signed a new contract with his homeland outfit in August, Inacio ended months of speculation surrounding his future in a move that raised his reported release clause to €60m (£52m).
Reports suggested that Liverpool held an interest all summer, but priorities clearly lay elsewhere; now, however, the timing is apt to lay the groundwork for a winter swoop.
Why are Liverpool interested in signing Goncalo Inacio?
Having conceded 47 goals in the Premier League last season after shipping a joint-divisional-best 26 the term before, it was clear where the crux of Liverpool's problems lay.
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Team
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Manchester City
33
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Newcastle United
33
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Arsenal
43
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Manchester United
43
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Aston Villa
46
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Brentford
46
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Liverpool
47
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Chelsea
47
And while a central defender was not signed, the midfield additions have provided the club with a remedy, settling the equilibrium and providing Virgil van Dijk and co with a respite from the torrent of attacks endured last year.
Inacio is young but seemingly boasts all the qualities required for success as a prosperous modern-day defender, and given that he is left-footed and a first-class distributor, has skills that led Fabrizio Romano to hail him as "very rare."
Given that Van Dijk is complemented by the brilliant but brittle Ibrahima Konate, signing a rising star such as Inacio really does seem to be the perfect option, and while the price necessary to prise him away would be high, it would be a prudent and worthwhile investment in the long-term.
How good is Goncalo Inacio?
Inacio is indeed well-equipped for life under a manager such as Klopp, with analyst Raj Chohan stating: "Gonçalo Inácio is the perfect counter-weight to Konaté. Inacio-VVD-Konaté: Build-up conductor. Leader/aerial dominator/switches of play. Immense recovery speed & coverage of space."
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 2% of centre-backs across leagues similar to the Primeira Liga over the past year for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions, progressive passes and attempted passes, the top 6% for pass completion, the top 2% for progressive carries and the top 15% for successful take-ons per 90.
The precision of his passing and the unflinching pursuit of progressing the play from the backline is something that would only benefit Liverpool in swiftly shifting the ball into the danger area for the likes of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez to feast upon.
And while he would indeed cost a pretty penny, the 6 foot 1 machine is among the finest young centre-backs in the business, very much possessing enough quality to be among the modern pantheon later down the line, and he could be a prospective sensation of a higher calibre even than Gravenberch.
Now, Gravenberch and Inacio are not much alike, with the Dutchman a multi-functional midfielder, but given that both are young (Gravenberch is 21), adding Inacio to the fold could establish the Sporting star as the Reds' prized possession.
Gravenberch was signed from Bayern Munich for £34m on deadline day in August, and has taken to life on Merseyside after posting a goal and two assists across all competitions, having started only three times.
The one-time Ajax prodigy ranks among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for progressive passes, the top 13% for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90, and has been described as the Netherlands' "greatest talent" by ex-Ajax ace Wim Kieft.
But given that Inacio's set of skills is simply out of grasp for the lion's share of top-class centre-backs across Europe, he seems to be a commodity worth swooping for, regardless of the required £52m outlay.
Romano claimed that he is a 'rare' player, and Liverpool must now make their move to secure his signature and maintain their pursuit of lasting silver-laden success.
