There is a touch of putting the cart before the horse in Liverpool's transfer business so far this summer.
While the Reds desperately need one, if not two, quality wingers, they seem fixated on adding yet more central midfielders to an already-overstaffed department.
Charlie Adam's signing underlines this point and the Scot will only flourish at Anfield if he has decent outlets on the flanks.
Adam's diagonals, launched from his quarterback position at the base of the Blackpool midfield, were one of the Seasiders' most-potent weapons last season.
They worked so well because Ian Holloway always played with two wingers, giving Adam his wide receivers.
Liverpool don't have this width and have lacked creativity on the flanks since Rafa Benitez's days.
Antonio Nunez, Mark Gonzalez, Jermaine Pennant, Albert Rieira, Ryan Babel and Milan Jovanovic - all have tried and failed to solve Liverpool's problems out wide.
Liverpool's need to get it right finally this summer is all the more acute because of Andy Carroll.
Liverpool weren't ready as a team to get the best out of Carroll when they signed him in January - just as Chelsea weren't set up to fully utilise Fernando Torres.
Carroll did so well at Newcastle because of Joey Barton's crosses and he doesn't have that supply line at Liverpool.
Liverpool's play is often too narrow, which means they are not fully utilising Carroll's aerial threat from crosses.
To be fair, Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli know this and have been trying to sign wingers.
But Ashley Young snubbed them in favour of Manchester United, while Sylvain Marveaux failed a medical.
This brings us to Stewart Downing and signing the left-winger has become critically important for the Reds.
Despite Downing's desire to come to Anfield, Aston Villa are in no mood to lose him so soon after Young was lured away.
They are demanding £20million, which is £5million more than Liverpool's first offer, and now Arsenal have joined the bidding to further muddy the waters for the Reds.
Liverpool would desperately like to offload the likes of Jovanovic, Christian Poulsen, Alberto Aquilani or Raul Meireles before adding another £80,000-a-week salary to the Anfield wage bill and their lack of outgoings is hampering them in the transfer market.
But Downing's value to Liverpool is much more and he could be their key signing of the summer.
Land him and Liverpool can fully unlock the potential of Carroll and Adam. Fail and they will go into the new season on a wing - without a winger - and a prayer.
