Liverpool's swoop to agree a deal for AS Monaco midfielder Fabinho was naturally the chief topic of discussion on this week's edition of Press Box.

Just 48 hours on from the disappointment of defeat in the Champions League final, the Reds tied up their move for the Brazilian, who will officially join on July 1.

Here is what three members of the media had to say about the player, how the transfer was planned, and why the club was so appealing to Fabinho...

Watch: Fabinho's first LFC interview

Neil Atkinson, Anfield Wrap

“I think it tells a story of a club that’s all about progress and about not pulling its punches, and about building something and having a long-term plan which does not get knocked asunder by one little thing. It wasn’t about sulking or going into your shell – it was: ‘Let’s get this sorted because we can.’ The quiet way in which it was done tells you that, whether you agree with the strategy or not – and I’d say at the minute it’s very difficult to disagree with it – there is a strategy. There is a very clear sort of brief to what sort of footballer Liverpool are looking for, and it looks like that’s exactly what they’ve gone out and got. It transcends Saturday really; if we had beaten them on Saturday, it would have transcended this signing. They’re almost separate things, but what they tell you the story of is a football club that is not going to take ‘no’ for an answer, that is only going in one direction, it thinks, and is working so hard constantly to go that way – and that’s exciting.”

Melissa Reddy, Joe.co.uk

“Before the final it was obvious that Liverpool were going to be quite aggressive in the market and look to strengthen areas where they already knew they needed reinforcements and an injection of quality. If Liverpool had won the final, I think they make the signing and announce it straight afterwards as well, just as they have done. One game was never going to affect the club’s vision and what they were preparing for next season. Credit to them, because this was a deal a long time in the making that they kept very quiet; they checked on him last summer and did most of the groundwork then, and carried it on. He said himself that the fact they were so into him for such a long time convinced him that it was the right fit for him. Obviously Jürgen Klopp made a big impression on him as well – and the run Liverpool had in the Champions League.”

Watch Press Box in full

Dominic King, Daily Mail

“You could not help but be impressed by what they have done: who they beat and the manner they beat them in on the way to the final. It has been two years of constant progress, two years of qualifying for the Champions League, signing good players. It excites players who want to achieve things; they look at projects, they don’t gamble on things when they have got all sorts of clubs after them. They don’t say, ‘I’ll pick them because they have been nicer to me or offered me the most money.’ The ones who have got their eyes on the top know where they want to go and pick.”