A goalkeeping department thinned out by Diego Conde's move to Betis and Arnau Tenas's switch to Mallorca needed reinforcing, and Villarreal have gone for experience rather than potential.
Péter Gulácsi, 36, arrives on a two-year contract to compete with Brazilian Luiz Júnior for the gloves, having spent 11 seasons and 362 appearances establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga's most reliable shot-stoppers at RB Leipzig, 269 of those appearances coming in the German top flight alone since he helped the club win promotion in his debut season.
He was RB Leipzig's number one for a decade and lifted a domestic cup during that run, before a mid-season injury cost him his starting spot last year and opened the door to this move; Villarreal are paying a reported €2m fixed fee plus add-ons.
Beyond his physical presence, standing 1.92m tall with strong distribution from the back, Gulácsi brings genuine pedigree that Villarreal's goalkeeping options otherwise lacked: 58 caps for Hungary and more than 70 European club appearances, 41 of them in the Champions League.
Villarreal's own goalkeeping arrivals this window are separate from the returning loanees Carlos Romero and Ilias Akhomach, making Gulácsi the club's first genuine outside signing of the summer.
There is an unusual footnote to his career that adds a wrinkle to his new surroundings: Gulácsi spent five seasons on Liverpool's books without ever making a competitive first-team appearance, sitting on the bench as many as 50 times across those years, including 31 occasions behind Pepe Reina, who now coaches Villarreal's youth side and will cross paths with Gulácsi once again.
The connections run deeper still — Gulácsi will work under goalkeeping coach Xavi Valero at Villarreal, the same trainer who held that post during his Liverpool years and who overlapped with both Gulácsi and then-manager Rafael Benítez for two seasons at Anfield.