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Seven years ago, John W Henry emerged from the London offices of law firm Slaughter & May and declared: “We’re here to win and we’ll do whatever is necessary.”

Since Fenway Sports Group completed their £300million takeover of Liverpool in October 2010 there have been plenty of occasions when supporters have doubted the sincerity of those words.

The American owners have done plenty right - transforming Anfield with the impressive new Main Stand, appointing a world-class manager in Jurgen Klopp, renaming the Centenary Stand in honour of Kop icon Kenny Dalglish and committing to building a new state-of-the art first-team training facility in Kirkby.

However, on-field success has eluded the Reds. There have been a number of agonising near misses along the way, but just one League Cup triumph in 2012 has left FSG open to accusations they care more about balance sheets than glory.

Committing to the record-breaking £75m purchase of Virgil van Dijk blows that out of the water. It's the show of ambition Kopites have longed for.

Despite Pep Guardiola's claims to the contrary, Premier League leaders Manchester City were desperate to sign the Dutchman, but the Reds' willingness to meet Southampton's demands – coupled with the defender's burning desire to play for Klopp – got the deal done.

It was FSG president Mike Gordon who pulled the plug on Liverpool's pursuit of Van Dijk last summer when they stood accused of tapping him up. And it was Gordon who helped to repair the relationship with Saints chairman Ralph Krueger in recent months, paving the way for Klopp to belatedly get his man.

In truth a lack of money for transfers hasn't been the main issue during FSG's tenure, the problem has been not spending it wisely enough.

(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

During Brendan Rodgers' reign the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa, Willian, Yevhen Konoplyanka and Alexis Sanchez all slipped through the net.

Far too often Liverpool weren't decisive enough and ended up having to settle for second best. Cash was frittered away on the likes of Fabio Borini, Iago Aspas, Lazar Markovic and Mario Balotelli.

The club's much-maligned transfer committee was a hot topic of debate. Rodgers felt that certain signings were foisted on him. For example, he wanted Ryan Bertrand and Ashley Williams but got Alberto Moreno and Mamadou Sakho.

Under Klopp, there is no uncertainty about who is calling the shots. FSG grew to doubt Rodgers' judgement but their belief in the German coach is unwavering and they have shown that by getting the cheque book out.

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One of the most telling changes is that the owners' policy of only targeting untapped potential rather than proven talent has been relaxed.

Of course youth development remains crucial but FSG have accepted that you can't keep on building for tomorrow, you also have to address the here and now.

And they have certainly done that with the financial backing they have given Klopp this year.

On four occasions they have committed to deals which either equalled or exceeded the previous club transfer record fee of £35m paid for Andy Carroll which had stood since 2011.

Klopp identified three top targets at the end of last season – Mohamed Salah, Naby Keita and Van Dijk. He wanted a winger to ease the burden on Sadio Mane, a dynamic centre midfielder and a dominant centre-back. Now they have all been delivered by the owners.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was also on Klopp's radar back in May but wasn't viewed as a priority. Liverpool always knew that one was likely to go down to the wire as Arsenal battled to convince him to stay.

Salah, the Reds' 21-goal top scorer, has exceeded all expectations and his value has arguably trebled already since his £36.9m move from Roma in June.

Prising Keita away from RB Leipzig wasn't easy with the Bundesliga outfit so reluctant to sell. But Klopp was happy to wait for the Guinea international with Reds sporting director Michael Edwards negotiating a deal worth around £55m which will kick in next July.

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Now FSG have gone even further by giving the green light to the £75m capture of Van Dijk. This is why Klopp decided not to pursue a Plan B back in August. His patience has paid off.

Questions will be asked about the eye-watering size of the fee which makes the former Celtic man the most expensive defender in world football.

It represents a leap of faith considering that Van Dijk hasn't been at his best since an ankle injury ruled him out of the second half of last season.

But there have been mitigating circumstances for that dip in form with all the uncertainty over his future and Saints struggling so badly.

The fact is there's a dearth of top class centre-backs and Klopp believes he's exactly what Liverpool are missing.

Time will tell whether Van Dijk is worth it but most Kopites are just buzzing at the sight of the Reds addressing an area of glaring weakness in the squad with such a statement signing.

Yes, money talks but there's no doubt that Liverpool's pulling power is so much greater now with a manager of Klopp's calibre in charge.

If you include Keita, the Van Dijk deal takes the club's transfer outlay under FSG past the £700m mark. They have recouped around £400m from sales.

Cynics will ask whether in buying Van Dijk the Reds are already re-investing the proceeds of the expected departure of Philippe Coutinho.

There have been no public guarantees from either Klopp or FSG that the Brazil international will still be at Anfield come February.

Barcelona remain as determined to sign Coutinho as they were last summer when Liverpool rejected three bids – the highest worth £118m with add-ons but only £82m guaranteed.

But Liverpool would be crazy to sell Coutinho in the winter window, regardless of what riches are on the table.

(Image: Liverpool FC)

For a start his exit would severely dent the feelgood factor generated by Van Dijk's arrival and risk derailing a season of great promise.

With the Reds in the last 16 of the Champions League and locked in a real battle for a top-four finish in the Premier League, there's too much at stake to grant Coutinho his dream move to the Camp Nou.

And anyway if Coutinho maintains his blistering form then his value is only going to increase ahead of the World Cup in Russia.

Fans will be hoping that the ambition Liverpool are showing under Klopp might still lead to the little magician re-evaluating his career plans.

But if he can't be convinced to stick around past next May then the Reds must ensure he leaves on their terms.

After all the brickbats, FSG deserve credit for how they have backed Klopp to the hilt.

Agreeing to pay £75m for Van Dijk proves they are here to win.