Arthur Melo says he's happy to now be on "the right side" at Anfield having experienced the power of Liverpool before.
The Brazilian was in the Barcelona side which crumbled in the Champions League semi-final in 2019, losing 4-0 on Merseyside as their 3-0 first leg lead evaporated.
He was back there on Thursday though, putting the finishing touches to a season-long loan move from Juventus that the Reds have secured in the wake of a midfield injury crisis.
Captain Jordan Henderson became the latest midfielder to go down injured on Wednesday night, when the skipper suffered a hamstring issue in the 2-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield.
Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were all absent for that clash with the Magpies with injury issues, while Curtis Jones was only fit enough for the bench having suffered with his own problems this season.
Arthur is now only too happy to step in though, and says he can't wait to get going.
“I’m really, really happy to be here wearing this great shirt with this famous badge that represents so much in world football, it’s a dream," the 26-year-old told Liverpool's official website.
“We talked a lot, and our ideas and visions were a good fit so I’m sure it was the right choice. I’m really happy and highly motivated to continue living my dream on the pitch and giving my all in a Liverpool shirt.”
Arthur will wear the No.29 shirt at Liverpool, the same number he wore during his spell with Brazilian club Gremio and at Juventus, who he joined from Barca in 2020.
He appeared as a 75th minute substitute on that remarkable 2019 night at Anfield, coming on four minutes before Divock Origi's famous winning goal.
“Liverpool have a wonderful history in football. I’ve played against Liverpool, I know what it feels like to be in the stadium with the fans behind them," he continued.
“I was with the opposition and now I’m on the right side so I’m really excited. It’s a massive club with a great manager, great players. As I said before, it’s a dream to be here.”
On his shirt number choice, he added: “The number 29 is special to me, it was my number at my first professional team Gremio.
“It brought me a lot of luck so maybe there’s an element of superstition around the number 29.
“It’s a number that I really like, it brought me a lot of luck and hopefully it will do the same here at Liverpool”.
Henderson is expected to be out for at least two to three weeks with his hamstring injury, with Arthur expected to go straight into the squad for Saturday's Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park.
Speaking on the injury after the match, Jurgen Klopp said: "We have another problem with Hendo. He left after feeling his hamstring, that is obviously not helpful."
When asked if it was serious, he added: “That serious that he couldn’t carry on.”
Thiago is expected to return soon after he limped off on the opening weekend of the season at Fulham, with forward Diogo Jota and goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher also tipped to return, after Jones, Joel Matip and Calvin Ramsay all came back earlier in the week.
