Liverpool kicked off a surprise day move for Arthur Melo after captain Henderson became the latest midfielder to sideline with injury.
A little about the topic
Arthur Melo, set to wear No. 29, completed his medical at Merseyside on Thursday afternoon and will now spend the season at Anfield. Bianconeri says there is an option for the Reds to make the move permanent for a fee of €37.5m.
The Reds have been hit by a string of midfield injuries, with Jordan Henderson, expected to be out for at least two weeks, joining the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara on the sidelines.
Liverpool were trying to kick off a belated bid for RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer but felt the Bundesliga side was unwilling to do business for the Austrian midfielder, who is expected to join Bayern Munich when the player’s contract expires in 2023.
The Brazilian national team player was beaten 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of the 2018-19 Champions League semi-final for Barcelona. Arthur Melo replaced Arturo Vidal for the final 15 minutes, arriving shortly before Divock Origi’s iconic game-winning goal.
Reds fans have been crying all summer about a new midfield signing, but few could have predicted that Melo would be identified as the solution to their problems. Arthur Melo at least comes with a pedigree of playing for Barcelona and the Bianconeri, as well as the Brazil national team, but his recent form and injury record is cause for concern. The suspicion is that the Reds took a low-risk, low-cost move with the bigger picture in mind.
What will happen after this for Arthur Melo?
The Brazilian is expected to be eligible for a Liverpool PL trip to Everton on Saturday afternoon, although with Arthur Melo not playing competitively since May, the player is unlikely to start at Goodison Park.