It was a crazy summer for the Premier League, with the division as a whole outspending the vast majority of Europe single-handedly with an outlay in excess of £1billion and smashing countless records in the process.
Indeed, 13 top flight sides set new record transfer fees during the summer window and although Liverpool's swoop for Sadio Mane didn't officially break theirs (however, it could go on to with future add-ons), his initial £34million price-tag certainly raised a few eyebrows.
But considering midfielders who haven't even established themselves as definitively the world's best can now claim £89million fees, naming no names (Paul Pogba), we at FootballFanCast think the Reds' costly investment in Mane was actually a shrewd bit of business - especially considering he's already helped propel Jurgen Klopp's boys into the top four.
In fact, we're billing him as the signing of the summer - and here are FOUR stats from around the web to prove it!
No new signing has performed better this season
According to stat enthusiasts Whoscored, Mane has been the third-best performer in the Premier League so far this season, with a contribution of three goals and one assist in six appearances. Only trumped by Son Heung-min and Kevin De Bruyne, he's actually the division's best performing new signing, featuring nine places above Manchester United's world-record acquisition Paul Pogba.
He's the fifth-best dribbler in the Premier League
According to Squawka, the Senegal star has completed the fifth-most dribbles (aka take-ons) of any player in the Premier League this season - just eight less than dribble king Eden Hazard in fewer appearances. That ability to beat defenders has been fundamental to Klopp's high-octane counter-attacking philosophy and it's also worth nothing Mane ranks fifth throughout the Premier League once again for successful duels overall - also including tackles and aerial challenges.
Transfer Record vs League Position
Our mates at Transfermarkt have come up with a very curious calculation, comparing clubs' rankings in terms of net spend during the summer transfer window with their current position in the Premier League table. As you can see, Liverpool boast the strongest difference in this regard, exceeding their net spend ranking by a whopping 13 places, and much of that surplus has to be credited to Mane - the Reds' most expensive summer signing by around £10million. If he hadn't proved to be such an effective addition, the Anfield outfit would likely be much further down this list.
Premier League's best performer at home
Granted we're working on a two-game sample, in this instance including 4-1 and 5-1 batterings of Leicester City and Hull City respectively - which explains why the Reds have three players in the top five of Whoscored's tally of the Premier League's best performers at home this season. Nonetheless, it remains incredibly telling that Mane is the only new signing in the top five and one of just three in the top ten, alongside Pogba and Burnley's Steven Defour. If Liverpool are to launch a title challenge this season, they'll need to make Anfield a fortress - and it appears Mane is ready to play a huge part in that mission.