Those long in the tooth knew exactly what to expect. And sure enough, once Desire Doue stroked home Paris Saint-Germain's winning penalty at Anfield on Tuesday evening, so the exodus began from Liverpool.
A seismic defeat in major competition is usually the cue for the spotlight to be shone on any squad and the personnel duly picked apart. Indeed, by the time Wednesday was out, if every rumour was to be believed then Arne Slot would have struggled to put together a five-a-side team at the start of pre-season, such was the extent of the supposed departures.
That won't happen. But there's no doubt a pivotal summer awaits for Liverpool and sporting director Richard Hughes in particular.
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Those who place as much emphasis on winning the transfer window as actual silverware will perhaps be rolling their eyes at this juncture, claiming to have heard it all before. Not least last year when, despite the arrival of Slot suggesting a fresh start, Federico Chiesa - who has only made three starts all season - was the sole new addition for this campaign, with goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to come from Valencia in the close season.
But necessity as much as design dictates it will be a busy forthcoming market for Liverpool with Slot having had a full campaign to assess where his squad needs tweaking and upgrading.
And there was a telling remark from the Reds boss when quizzed after Tuesday's game over whether PSG could now go on to be anointed European champions for the first time. "They are one of the richest clubs in Europe so it's not such a surprise that they compete every season for winning the Champions League," he said.
It followed an earlier comment from Slot which pointed out: "Luis Enrique did a lot of things really well. He created in a few transfer windows a team I assume he is quite happy with, not only in terms of team performance but individual."
For all the talk of PSG having stepped away from the 'galactiques' era of Neymar and Lionel Messi, they have still spent big in recent years.
In the four transfer windows that have taken place since Enrique was appointed boss, the French side have had a net spend of a whopping £300m. By comparison, in the two windows so far of Slot's tenure, Liverpool are actually in profit of around £20m.
Liverpool can't compete with the state-owned riches of PSG. Few clubs can. But there will undoubtedly have to be a loosening of the purse strings from Fenway Sports Group with Slot having shown this season with a group of players he inherited from Jurgen Klopp the Reds can challenge strongly for major honours.
Of course, there is already money there, as evidenced by the failed attempt to sign midfielder Martin Zubimendi for £51million from Real Sociedad. But it's likely the outlay will have to be several times that to plug the potential holes and ensure the necessary improvements in the squad.
The summer, then, will be the first real test of Hughes and the retuned recruitment team having still been adjusting to their new positions last year. With Slot now having a solid idea of what his squad requires, the hard graft will already be taking place behind the scenes with shortlists drawn up and the viability of potential transfers investigated.
Before all that will be come the resolution of contract talks with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all of whom at present are set to become free agents in the summer. It's increasingly unlikely all three will stay - Alexander-Arnold is pondering an offer from Real Madrid - but only when their futures are determined will Slot and Hughes be able to definitively map out their plans.
Some areas, though, are more obvious than others. While PSG have now been installed as one of the Champions League favourites, should they fall short it will most likely be for the same reason Liverpool did on Tuesday - the lack of a consistent, quality number nine. For all their pace and power in attack, the French side scored only once in 210 minutes against the Reds, and even that was a scruffy effort that owed much to a brief breakdown in communication in the Liverpool rearguard.
With Slot having already indicated the Reds are in the market for a forward, the dearth of top-quality strikers means they will face strong competition with Liverpool among the many admirers of Newcastle United's Alexander Isak. It's telling question marks continue over the long-term futures of Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, while Luis Diaz is another attracting interest from elsewhere.
Elsewhere, Ibrahima Konate - linked again with PSG on Thursday - Andy Robertson and Caoimhin Kelleher are all out of contract in less than 18 months, and with Liverpool keen to avoid another season of endless speculation, clarity will be sought regarding the respective plans of the trio.
Left-back has in any case long been regarded as an area for a refresh with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez on Liverpool's radar. But, goalkeeper aside given the incoming Mamardashvili, an open mind is being kept on almost every other position.
Player sales, as ever, will bolster the transfer kitty. But Slot's progress so far this campaign - a 15-point lead at the Premier League summit and an imminent League Cup final are testament to that - has surely bought him the trust of the club's owners and a willingness, should it be required, to go the extra yard for any major signings the head coach requests. The challenge for Hughes and the recruitment team now is to earn similar confidence with their selections and dealings.
This season, then, is shaping up to be the last hurrah of Klopp's immediate legacy with, from next term on, the squad far more in the image his successor intends.
It's not a matter of whether FSG splash the cash this summer. Quite simply, they are going to have to. Liverpool are preparing to take their next big step into the Slot era.
