It may be a harsh question, but under the circumstances, it is a valid one. What is the point of Arthur?
Already, in the rather more sensational element of the Italian media, there have been, well, claims is possibly the most accurate description (though fevered speculation in search of traffic is possibly also appropriate) that Liverpool are already considering cutting short his loan at Anfield.
For those who know, that is simply not the way the regime at the club operates. Yet, you do wonder how the Brazil international will actually get into Jurgen Klopp ’s starting XI when the Premier League resumes this weekend. His capture on deadline day was feted as a “£70m transfer coup” by the more naive element of the Reds' fanbase. The reality is something rather different.
That figure was based on the fees reported by Barcelona and Juventus in the swap deal which saw him leave the Nou Camp for Italy in exchange for the Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic. Those figures were investigated as part of a fraud inquiry by the Spanish authorities (though no action was taken).
That Pjanic made six starts for Barca before leaving on a free transfer to UAE Pro League side Sharjah (and we all know what that means) tells a more accurate story. Arthur was basically valued at €!0m euros by his Spanish club, and that was before he made only a handful of starts for Juve.
So Liverpool got what they paid for. And yes they paid nothing, bar a nominal loan fee. They got a player who has played little football in the last four years at two teams who are considerably below the Anfield club in the current hierarchy of the European elite.
Going back to the question, what is the point of Arthur? Well, it has to be said, there seemed little point in bringing him in as a short term solution to the injury crisis which has struck down Klopp’s team in the opening weeks of the season.
His first appearance for the Reds (his first appearance since a six minute cameo in the Coppa Italia final against Inter in early May, in fact) came in the disastrous defeat in Napoli, where ‘blowing through his arse’ was a kind description of his second half substitute’s role.
Arthur was not fit enough to play for Liverpool then, as even Klopp admitted when he said: “Can he play a full game? No. Can he play minutes? Yes, possibly.” Subsequently, he has made two appearances for his new club’s under-21 side, after giving up time off during the international break, to work on his condition.
The second was against Rochdale. Yes, Rochdale. And he probably wasn’t Liverpool’s most impressive player. He was also substituted after an hour. The truth is, Klopp signed him because he feared he wouldn’t have more than four midfielders to choose from before the mid season break to accommodate the World Cup in November.
Yet with Jordan Henderson coming back from injury ahead of schedule, Thiago now fit and firing, and Curtis Jones likely to be back this weekend, Klopp’s midfield injury crisis has eased. He may even get Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in mid to late October, giving him a full complement of eight midfielders - even before Arthur is considered.
Klopp’s go-to midfield at the moment, with his team under pressure, will be Henderson-Fabinho-Thiago. And that has history behind it, because it was the midfield that got Liverpool so close to the greatest season in football. Ever. Yet if that suggests Arthur’s presence at Anfield is pointless, then there is still a rationale behind the signing. Yes, he was in no condition to play in the Premier League when he arrived. Yes, he was a player who lost his way completely at Barca and then Juve.
But when Liverpool signed Philippe Coutinho he was a similar type of player - one who was a young star with massive potential who didn’t deliver at big European clubs. Klopp got the best out of Coutinho, and sold an £8m player for £140m. Arthur is a £10m player who has the quality - buried deep admittedly - to perform at a significantly higher level than he’s shown in the past few years.
So it wasn’t a gamble. If Keita, Jones, etc are not fit, then he can provide important depth, especially as he comes to terms with the insane pace of the Premier League (if is probably a more accurate prefix). If they are, then he cost nothing, and he can amble off back from whence he came. If Juve will have him back.
Klopp’s decision to sign the Brazilian was based on a simple calculation. He has a host of midfielders in his squad with persistent injury woes. Thiago, Keita, Ox. He also has two veterans in Henderson and Milner who are not getting younger or quicker (or less injury prone).
So if Liverpool somehow unlock the previous potential of Arthur then they will get someone who can comfortably cover for - and provide an alternative to (given he’s still only 26 and five years younger than the fragile Thiago) the club’s ailing midfielders.
Will he start a game any time soon? Unlikely. Can he become a starter for the Reds outside the crap cups? The potential is there to be unlocked.
Arthur was signed as cover, straight as. Cover for Thiago, cover for an aging or injury-blighted midfield. On a free loan deal. He wasn’t signed to better Klopp’s go-to midfield when everyone is fit. And that’s the point of him. Whether the Liverpool fans or Spanish media think otherwise or not.
