Liverpool’s midfield woes this season have been well-documented ahead of the Reds’ planned revamp of their engine-room this summer.
Even if Naby Keita, James Milner, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain weren’t all leaving at the end of their contracts on free transfers, with their imminent exits confirmed by the club on Wednesday, and Juventus loanee Arthur Melo also returning to Turin, Jurgen Klopp would have still needed to address his options.
After all, while Liverpool have been able to call upon the services of 11 different senior midfielders this season, with such a total rising to 15 if we wish to include Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cody Gakpo, Roberto Firmino, and youngster Bobby Clark, it has been clear that, quantity doesn’t always mean quality at Anfield.
READ MORE: How Liverpool plan to replace four major departures that club have just confirmed
With the Reds stuck in a transitional season, the majority of their options are ageing or injury-prone, with it clear such players cannot be Klopp’s long-term solution. And if not declining talents, their remaining midfielders were raw, inexperienced potential rather than proven quantities.
While Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott, and, more recently, Curtis Jones at least offered hope for the future, Liverpool had found themselves in a position where, despite their plethora of options, they possessed very few midfielders at the peak of their powers.
As a result, prior to their recent nine-game unbeaten run following a tactical switch to a 3-2-2-3 formation, the Reds’ midfield was often left lacking legs and chasing shadows. Sod’s law, Klopp’s men had been left short at a time when they needed their experienced legs to carry them through most.
That in itself opened Liverpool up to criticism for their decision not to strengthen their engine-room last summer, believing they could expect another year from their current options after missing out on Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid, and opting to wait a year to move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.
In truth, no-one could have foreseen Fabinho’s swift fall from grace, and, to a lesser extent, Jordan Henderson’s. Nor Liverpool’s struggles straight off the back of nearly winning an unprecedented quadruple. But the fact that the Reds then withdrew from the race to sign Bellingham last month, in favour of recruiting multiple new high-profile midfielders, only added insult to injury.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister, Chelsea’s Mason Mount, and Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch are believed to be three of the names near the top of Liverpool’s shopping list for the summer. Whether the Reds are successful in such pursuits remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the club’s recruitment team will be addressing the issues that have riddled Klopp’s side this season.
Indeed, the shadows of injury-prone players, ageing stars, expiring contracts, and raw, unproven potential have all hung over Liverpool's season. As a result, Klopp was still left without a midfield at the peak of its powers.
On paper he actually possessed one, though. For Liverpool, it is the midfield that never was.
A look at the Reds’ current contracted options and you should spot three players who should be enjoying their prime years - Fabinho, Keita, and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The Guinean was 27 at the start of the season, while the Brazilian and England international were both 28. But while Fabinho has been one of the first names on Klopp’s teamsheet for the majority of his Liverpool career, injuries have ultimately continued to rob Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain of such opportunities.
The trio were actually right at the heart of the Reds’ last midfield revamp in 2017 and 2018. Keita was technically snapped up first as Liverpool agreed a then club-record, while also unique, deal with RB Leipzig for the Guinean in August 2017 which would see him remain with the Bundesliga outfit for a further season before moving to Anfield the following summer.
Possessing a £48m release clause that would come into play in 2018, the Reds committed to paying a premium on top of that fee, determined by Leipzig’s Bundesliga finish in 2017/18 with Keita in their ranks, and ended up paying £52.75m.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was signed on summer transfer deadline day in August 2017. With a year left on his Arsenal contract, Liverpool snapped him up for an initial £35m, with that fee potentially rising to £40m with add-ons. After an initial slow start, the midfielder was in the form of his career as the Reds marched towards the 2018 Champions League final, only to be cruelly knocked down by an ACL injury suffered in the semi-finals against AS Roma. In truth, he would be nothing more than a squad option after his return to fitness the following year.
Fabinho was then signed in May 2018, days after Liverpool lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid, as he was brought in for an initial £39m from AS Monaco, with add-ons taking that overall fee to £43.7m. Like Oxlade-Chamberlain, he would initially endure a slow Anfield start, but he made his place his own midway through the 2018/19 season and hasn’t looked back since. Helping the Reds win the Champions League in his first season with the club, the Brazilian would be front and centre as Klopp’s men won every major honour going, with his decline this year the first time his place in the starting XI has ever been called into question.
So in the space of a year, Liverpool had built a £136.45m midfield. A trio that would grow together and could enjoy their peak years at Anfield as the Reds looked to take those next steps towards English and European glory.
Yet, while all three players would claim the prizes that followed, they were never the combined answer. In fact, over the past five years they have started just three matches together as Klopp’s midfield three.
The first occasion came in October 2019 as Liverpool won 4-1 away at Genk in the Champions League group-stages. Oxlade-Chamberlain would even score a brace, with Fabinho setting up his opening goal after just two minutes. But even then, it was clear this trio could not be Klopp’s answer.
“Liverpool were at times playing a 4-1-5 with Fabinho seemingly taking the Genk midfield on by himself whenever an away attack broke down,” Ian Doyle wrote in his matchday analysis piece for the ECHO that night.
“The midfield may have been the one many supporters wanted but it's clear why this was the first time it had been seen. This wasn't a case of Liverpool getting away with it – the individual performances were too good for that – but as an experiment it was an engine room that underlined why it may not be seen again any time soon.”
Ultimately, the ECHO’s Chief Liverpool FC writer would be proven right.
The next time the trio started in midfield together came behind-closed-doors in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, at home to Aston Villa in July 2020 at a time when the Premier League title was already wrapped up. Late goals from Sadio Mane and substitute Jones would clinch a 2-0 win, with Keita assisting the opener before being replaced by the second goalscorer. Yet Fabinho and Oxlade-Chamberlain had already long-since been withdrawn on the hour-mark.
Which brings us to their final run-out, in last year’s FA Cup quarter-final win away at Nottingham Forest. Diogo Jota’s late winner would set up a semi-final clash with Man City, but all three midfielders had been replaced after 64 minutes.
With it quickly becoming clear that Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain would depart as free agents this summer, Klopp has rarely turned to the pair even when fit this season as a result.
Keita hasn't played since being withdrawn at half-time following a disastrous first-half showing in the 0-0 draw away at Crystal Palace in February. Suffering a muscle injury during the March international break, he's yet to return to full team training as, having made just 13 appearances this season, his Liverpool career ends with a whimper.
Meanwhile, Oxlade-Chamberlain's last outing came when he was thrown on in desperation after 70 minutes in the 4-1 defeat at Man City last month. His last start came in the 3-0 loss to Brighton in mid-January, while he hasn't actually made Liverpool's matchday squad during their nine-game unbeaten run since that heavy loss at the Etihad.
Ironically, the more naturally attacking-inclined pairing could have perhaps felt more at home if utilised in the Reds’ new 3-2-2-3 formation, with Alexander-Arnold now offering extra protection behind them alongside Fabinho. With Jones thriving in his new role, Klopp is understandably looking to Liverpool’s future; a future that neither Keita or Oxlade-Chamberlain will be part of.
Both will look back over their Reds careers with mixed emotions as they’re left to wonder what could have been. Still, at least they depart with a host of winners’ medals around their necks, while there are still more chapters to Fabinho’s Anfield tale.
And Klopp will be hoping his latest overhaul this summer, be it Mac Allister, Mount, and Gravenberch or someone else, proves to be a rather more successful solution.
READ NEXT
Supercomputer predicts Liverpool's finish in Champions League battle with Man United and Newcastle
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner sends Roberto Firmino message as exit looms
Sadio Mane stance on Bayern Munich future after ex-Liverpool star linked with Premier League return
Champions League qualification rules for Liverpool if Man City win competition
'Put it in your paper' - Liverpool player forced to deny 'porn star' rumours after Anfield spell
