The Reds had “won the window” even before Sweden’s shining Northern Light, Alexander Isak, shimmered into the Anfield firmament.

But as the front room glitters with new stars, there’s a nagging unease: has the back door been bolted?

An unforgivable last-minute mess-up by Crystal Palace meant that England centre-back Marc Guehi couldn’t arrive in time.

So Liverpool is left with a quartet of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Italian youngster, Giovanni Leoni.

With the versatile but injury-prone Gomez a frequent absentee and Konate’s fitness and commitment questioned, you can see why they wanted Guehi.

Van Dijk is still a colossus but turned 34 in July, and Leoni, 18, is considered one for the future.

Cool customer Guehi’s class and experience would have been a godsend, perhaps as the skipper’s first-choice partner.

No one needs reminding of what happened in the last post-title-winning campaign: an injury epidemic that saw Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips as the centre-back pairing.

The Reds may well get Guehi in January for less than half the £35m that was agreed.

But it took a little shine off a window that also generated £210m in sales.

Indeed, Liverpool’s net spend was not the largest in the EPL – that dubious honour went to Arsenal.

They had been firm favourites to retain their title ever since they won it in May, and their spending has taken them to another level.

However, a nervous first two games and the impasse over Isak changed the mood.

The Reds were far from the smooth-running champions of the previous year and were lucky to beat both Bournemouth and Newcastle.

Besides uncertainty at the back, it was clear that most of the new signings would need time to bed into a new system.

While Hugo Ekitike hit the ground running, scoring in both games, Florian Wirtz struggled and looked lightweight for his £100m price tag.

Milos Kerkez did not look like the rampaging player he was at Bournemouth, and, like Samson, seemed to lose his strength after cutting his hair.

In a dramatic game at Newcastle that Liverpool stole at the death, the Magpies won the physical battle with ease.

Some critics even suggested that spending £300m might have made Liverpool worse.

Or had Arne Slot morphed from a Trappist to a hedonist?

Anyhow, by the time of the top-of-the-table clash, Arsenal had moved up the bookies’ lists to become joint-favourites for the title.

But a better performance all-round, capped by a wonder goal, changed things back towards Liverpool. And then came Isak.

The Gunners, no shrinking violets, have added firepower themselves in both senses of the word.

In Viktor Gyokeres, Mikel Arteta has finally landed the elusive striker for whom fans have been screaming for three seasons.

But at Anfield, his guns were spiked by injuries to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, and his own negative tactics.

With early doubts creeping in about Martin Zubimendi and Gyokeres, combined with improvements from their Liverpool counterparts, the champions once again looked the team to beat.

What Arsenal fans wanted was a statement win; what they got was a reminder – of why they haven’t won there in the league since 2012.

Elsewhere, Manchester City suffered a second defeat in three games at Brighton, having already lost playmaker Rayan Cherki for two months with a recurrence of a thigh injury.

That 4-0 opening day win at Wolves looked promising with two goals from Erling Haaland and a Dutch midfield masterpiece from Tijjani Reijnders.

But some of last season’s flaws are still visible and not even the return of Rodri, who helpfully explained, “I’m not Messi,” after his losing comeback, could make them tick.

They have also lost Ederson, an under-sung cornerstone of the way Guardiola’s team plays, to Fenerbahce.

Although the great Brazilian had a few wobbles last season and was replaced by James Trafford at the start of this one, he will never be forgotten.

With laser accuracy and long range, he changed the way football was played, but was just as good with his hands.

That he is now being replaced by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is the world’s No.1 shot-stopper but not so good with his feet, confirms that City 2.0 is nothing like the original. Besides, where does this leave Trafford?

Elsewhere, the revolving door at Stamford Bridge hasn’t yet come off its hinges and Chelsea even made a slight profit on their wheeling and dealing.

They are strong in attack with Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian an exciting pair of Brazilian additions, but their defence is their weak point.

Newcastle, after a traumatic summer with Isak going on strike, could remain among the Champions League places.

They have replaced the Swede with a player known as “the two-metre Messi”.

Nick Woltemade, who signed a club record deal worth £69m from Stuttgart, should be worth watching.

So, too, Yoane Wissa, who took a leaf out of Isak’s book to engineer a £55m move from Brentford.

Spurs have recovered from the failures to sign Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, landing new attackers in Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani. But they will miss the injured James Maddison while manager Thomas Frank could be their best signing of the lot.

Among the most fascinating new faces will be two very fresh ones – Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoah, 17 and Arsenal’s Max Dowman, 15.

But it’s Isak who looks like the real game-changer. – his 54 goals in 86 EPL games brook no argument and his arrival will be especially welcomed by Wirtz.

Arguably, the most underwhelming of the big signings so far, Wirtz has been waiting for someone to get on the end of his flicks and deft passes.

Almost frail-looking in the bear pit of St James’ Park, the German has so far resembled a passenger who has boarded the wrong train.

But with one of the world’s best strikers to capitalise on his clever build-up play, he should be able to justify the £100m paid for him, too.

If the two hit it off, the Reds would be strong candidates to make it seven European Cups too.

How ever you look at it, the EPL crown is Liverpool’s to lose.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.