When Liverpool appointed Jurgen Klopp as Brendan Rodgers’ successor in October 2015, there was a real sense that it was the best possible appointment by the Merseyside outfit.
Klopp, who had left Borussia Dortmund several months earlier, was one of Europe’s most sought-after coaches at the time following his seven-year spell at the Westfalenstadion.
Dortmund played some scintillating football under Klopp, winning several major honours in the process, including back-to-back Bundesliga titles.
Klopp’s final season with BVB wasn’t great - the club finished seventh in the Bundesliga table - but that hadn’t affected his reputation too badly.
His time with Dortmund had run its course and he knew he needed a new challenge elsewhere.
Liverpool fans were naturally thrilled by Klopp’s arrival and the charismatic German coach hasn’t let them down over the past three years.
Although they’re yet to win a trophy under the 51-year-old, they have reached the finals of the League Cup, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League.
Klopp has also got Liverpool playing some of the most thrilling football on the continent - and this could be the season that the club’s long wait for the Premier League title comes to an end.
The Reds, who last won the league title back in 1990, have enjoyed a near-flawless start to the 2018-19 campaign, picking up four wins from their first four games and conceding just one goal.
They are now 11/4 to win the Premier League title - making them second favourites behind 4/6 favourites Manchester City - and are now blessed with a squad that looks more than capable of seriously challenging Pep Guardiola’s side.
Hummels' prediction about Klopp from 2015
One man who saw this coming was Mats Hummels, whose prediction about Klopp from October 2015 could well come true this season.
“I am convinced Klopp can win the league at Liverpool,” the German defender, who left Dortmund for Bayern Munich in 2016, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. “He has shown he doesn't need the biggest transfer budget or the biggest names to win the biggest trophies.
“He is a winner, I know him. His long term goal won't just be to qualify for the Champions League, and settle for that.
“It will be to challenge Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal for the title, and he is absolutely capable of doing that.”
Fast-forward three years and it turns out that Hummels was correct about challenging those clubs.
Give it another seven or eight months and Hummels’ prediction might eventually prove to be spot on.