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If further confirmation was needed, transfer deadline day proved yet again that Liverpool and Chelsea are currently on different ends of the spectrum when it comes to signings.

On the one hand, Liverpool: waiting patiently (and risky) for the summer while they are in the middle of the standings. On the other side Chelsea: Their deal with Enzo Fernández should have been finalized at the time of this writing – incredibly, their addition on January 8th.

Chelsea’s mid-season spending reached $394m (£320m/€363m) with the $131m (£105m/€120m) signing of Fernández.

They spent around $308m (£250m/€283m) last summer. What exactly happens if some of these deals don’t work out as expected? Mykhailo Mudryk, for example, will prove difficult to move an eight-and-a-half-year contract if it doesn’t become a success.

And even if most of these transfers work out the way Chelsea clearly think they will, they will need a certain level of performance to justify the outlay.

The contrast with Liverpool, where a little more spending would have been a big boost going into the second half of the season, couldn’t be starker, with their reluctance as much as a gamble.

If further confirmation was needed, transfer deadline day proved yet again that Liverpool and Chelsea are currently on different ends of the spectrum when it comes to signings.

On the one hand Liverpool: waiting patiently (and risky) until the summer while they are in midfield. Chelsea, on the other hand: Their deal for Enzo Fernández is expected to be finalized at the time of writing – incredibly their January 8 signing.

Of course, Liverpool are capable of spending more than they have. Cody Gakpo are off to a good start but they are taking a big risk by not stepping up and hoping their current squad can limp towards the Champions League places. As Jurgen Klopp eluded earlier this month, Liverpool will have to spend a bit more than they currently do to keep up with not just Chelsea but Newcastle and the other big spenders who are unlikely to slow down.

“I don’t see the investment stopping in the future and that means we have to do that too,” Klopp said some days ago on Sky Sports.