Liverpool are on the verge of adding a new face in midfield with talks to sign Juventus man Arthur Melo in a deadline day loan deal.
The 26-year-old Brazil international has been identified as a possible solution to their ongoing injury problems in the middle of the pitch after Jordan Henderson became the latest player sidelined.
Henderson is set to undergo a scan after limping out of Wednesday's dramatic 2-1 home Premier League win over Newcastle United with a hamstring issue. He’ll join Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago Alcantara in the treatment room, leaving Jurgen Klopp’s midfield options limited.
Arthur, though, does have the potential to change that. He’s been in and out of the Juventus team since joining in the summer of 2020, making only 31 appearances last season, just 16 of which were starts. He has yet to feature this season, however, and will surely see the switch to Anfield as a big opportunity to secure more regular minutes.
Despite spending a lot of time on the outskirts of Massimiliano Allegri’s side, the Juve boss has been notably complimentary of Arthur in the past and praised his energy and "extraordinary" technical abilities earlier this year.
"Arthur is improving, he played very well on Sunday," Bianconeri boss declared in February. "He's like a child, always running behind the ball. Sometimes he has to handle himself a little bit more, but he put in a great performance against Hellas Verona. He has extraordinary technical abilities."
Last season, only two Juventus players averaged more successful passes on a per 90 basis than Arthur. He was mid-ranking in the squad though in terms of progressive passes, hinting a lot of his possession play was short and safe rather than more penetrative piercing forward balls through the lines, which is something Thiago does very well.
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Only two Juve players averaged more carries last season though, which is a nod to his ability to pick up the ball in good locations and drive up the pitch or evade pressure from opposition defenders.
His creative numbers are pretty underwhelming, with no Serie A goals or assists last season, however as a midfielder who often played in deeper positions, that’s to be expected. Instead, you’ll see him offer more to the team without the ball.
He’s not got physical attributes in this sense to say rival Fabinho and is after all just 5ft8in. But he has still proven he can be an asset when defending and posted solid mid-ranking numbers in terms of tackles + interceptions and pressures at Juventus in the last campaign.
You’d therefore conclude that on the surface, Arthur has qualities that suggest he could adapt to a role in Jurgen Klopp’s squad fairly seamlessly. He might not be a player who they’d look to sign on a permanent basis, but under these circumstances, he’s perhaps the best short-term option they have.
And the 26-year-old must have impressed Klopp enough to green-light the move too, especially after it was only last week that the German stated they wouldn’t sign any player unless they were "100 per cent" sure it was the right deal for the club.
"It must be the right player. Some players are just unavailable, that's how it is, but if we can do something, and if we will do something, then we are 100 per cent convinced about it. If we are not convinced, then we will not do it. That's the situation. If it's the right player, we need him. If it's not the right player, we don't need him.”
