Liverpool looks to have completed the first signing of the Arne Slot era . However, that requires a slight asterisk, with the first-team not set to immediately benefit.
It could well be a summer of similarly qualified successes in the transfer market. Giorgi Mamardashvili is thought to be nearing a move , but his arrival at Anfield would be delayed until 2025.
That deal is yet to be finalized, however. In his latest press conference, Slot hinted that he would be satisfied with no activity before the end of the transfer window , but one move has now seemingly gone through.
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Alvin Ayman is an almost-forgotten name from much earlier in the transfer window. There were reports of a deal being agreed for the teenager from Wolves back in June, but then everything went quiet.
That's likely down to a lengthy five-step Premier League approval process where young players are involved. Ayman is still just 16, and deals for him and Chelsea youngster Rio Ngumoha have therefore required detailed oversight.
But according to Fabrizio Romano, the Ayman deal has now been completed. Liverpool will pay a compensation fee of $2.6m (£2m/€2.3m) to Wolves, and the teenager will reportedly arrive at Anfield on a five-year deal.
Ayman travelled with the Wolves first team last season at times while he was still just 15. Even so, the midfielder is likely to initially join the youth ranks at Liverpool — although the rapid rise of Trey Nyoni, signed in a similar deal from Leicester last summer and now admired by Slot, shows a possible route of accelerated progression.
Described by those who have watched him as a " complete midfielder ", Ayman is an exciting talent. The description of the "five-year deal" might not be entirely accurate, with rules limiting the length of contract he will be able to sign, but the Reds have clearly made a long-term commitment to the player.
Liverpool.com says: Well, it's a bit of an underwhelming one as the first deal of the Slot era, if indeed you believe a youth-team transfer even counts. But it's the continuation of a shrewd policy.
Just look at the youngsters Liverpool has sold this summer: neither Sepp van den Berg nor Fabio Carvalho came through the Academy, but the Reds got in near the ground floor. In a worst-case scenario, Ayman will probably be worth a lot more in a few years.
The best and hoped-for solution is that Ayman develops into a genuine first-team option. And who knows, maybe one day we'll look back in wonder at the astuteness of Slot's first signing.
As for the first senior signing, Mamardashvili looks a good bet. But the first signing won't be the first arrival, with the goalkeeper sent to be loaned straight back to Valencia.
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