In an effort to address his injury woes in midfield, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp landed Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus on the final hours of the summer transfer deadline window. With Thiago, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson all nursing injuries, Liverpool have been light on midfielders at the early stage of the season and Arthur brings an experienced option into the side.
Splitting time between Barcelona and Juventus, Arthur perform at the high levels expected for Liverpool to compete on all fronts while offering a chance to repair his value after falling out of favor under Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus. Not much of a goal scorer, Arthur won’t light up the stat sheet at Liverpool but he’s a tidy passer who can fit into Klopp’s midfield three.
The Brazil international also fits in with the squad as Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino are all involved with international setup, and there’s no doubt he’s in search of more minutes in effort to grab Tite’s attention. That familiarity may help Arthur settle quickly, which is a key to completing deals on deadline day. Liverpool seemed content with the squad to begin the season, and addressing their midfield with a not-so-flashy signing after spending big on Darwin Nunez but Arthur provides quality depth.
When Thiago returns from injury, Klopp will have the ability to try to keep his midfielders fresh while not putting too much pressure on Harvey Elliott’s shoulders as he isn’t far removed from an ankle fracture suffered last season. With a less than stellar start to the season, a new midfielder combined with a last second comeback victory over Newcastle United on Wednesday should be just what the Reds need after a less than stellar start to the season.
Along with Darwin returning from suspension this weekend, it’s the best way to head into the Merseyside Derby against Everton Saturday. There is still plenty of work to be done as Liverpool are already seven points off of Arsenal’s pace atop the Premier League and five points behind Manchester City. But Klopp’s squad is starting to get healthy in other areas with Joel Matip and Diogo Jota returning to training, which is a welcome boost as the Reds prepare to go on a run.
