Juventus’ transfer record when it comes to signing midfielders in recent seasons has proven to be particularly patchy. Under the stewardship of a sea of new managers, they have repeatedly fought hard to acquire their latest target, and often offered big wages to secure their signature, only to swiftly write off said player as a misguided purchase and look to move them back on.
Emre Can and Aaron Ramsey are perhaps two of the most high-profile cases, but the likes of Mario Lemina, Hernanes, Roberto Pereyra, Tomas Rincon and Dejan Kulusevski all found out that life with the Old Lady wasn’t quite all it was cracked up to be. Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot, and to a lesser extent Weston McKennie, would have surely joined such a group this summer if the Serie A giants, who admittedly push some to the exit door harder than others, had they been able to find buyers for their ‘bomb squad’ stars.
Given the pace of this conveyor belt, as they discard one toy in favour of moving on to the next, Juventus was Liverpool's port of call when they found themselves in need of a new midfielder on transfer deadline day, and they ended up signing Arthur Melo on a season-long loan. Having not featured for the Serie A outfit since May, the Brazilian was left out of their pre-season training camp and an easy enough recruit, even if he was forced to play catch-up once he moved to Merseyside as a result.
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Working hard to get up to speed on days off and during the international break, the 26-year-old would feature twice for the Reds’ Under-21s side as an overage player in a bid to get himself ready for selection for Jurgen Klopp’s first team. Yet a serious thigh injury suffered in October saw the midfielder require surgery and be ruled out until 2023 as a result.
When Arthur was brought in on loan, Liverpool were suffering a shortage of midfielders with Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones all sidelined, with Fabinho, James Milner, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho their only available senior options as a result. Yet now all nine are, at the very least, back training, with the Brazilian the only one of the Reds’ players in the engine room currently a long-term absentee.
Despite this, it would seem the 26-year-old will finish the season at Anfield despite his injury with Klopp confirming his loan switch doesn’t contain an exit clause in January.
"Yeah (he is here for the season). He's here," the German told reporters on Friday. "It's a long-term injury. When he's back, we'll think about it again. But in the moment it's too far away. I have no idea how long it will be but it will be a long. It's a really long-term injury."
Reports at the time of Arthur’s injury suggested he would be sidelined for four months. Whether Klopp’s latest comments suggest a lengthier lay-off, only time will tell. Either way, while his loan move contains a €37.5m buy clause, the midfielder faces an uphill battle to return to action and, having only played 13 minutes for the first team so far, do enough to convince Liverpool to sign him permanently before the end of the season.
Considering the Brazilian historically has a poor record with injuries, supporters were hardly surprised upon hearing the Reds’ emergency summer signing had been struck down. Given their own luck with setbacks, especially in midfield, this season, it was just sod’s law.
Yet Arthur reportedly wasn’t even Liverpool’s first choice signing when they lodged enquiries with Juventus, with them instead targeting one of his team-mates only to miss out to a Premier League rival.
Having been repeatedly linked with Denis Zakaria during his time with Borussia Monchengladbach, the Reds decided against making a move for the Switzerland international back in January as, with his deal in Germany set to expire at the end of the season, he signed for Juventus in a €4.5 m deal.
But after just 15 appearances in Turin, he was deemed surplus to requirements at the Allianz Stadium and joined Chelsea on loan on transfer deadline day. Like the Reds’ move for Arthur, the Londoners’ own deal contains an option to buy, reportedly worth £24.1m plus £4m in bonuses.
The midfielder would later confirm that Liverpool had indeed initially asked after him, only for his move to Chelsea to already be in the works.
“It all happened very quickly," Zakaria said in an interview with Blick. "I didn’t know a move to Chelsea was possible until six hours before the end of the transfer window. I packed my things and waited for the contract to be signed. I then did the medical check in Turin and it went through. It was very close.”
When asked about the reported interest from Liverpool, he added: “I heard that from my agent, but in the end it was Chelsea, and I think I’ll be happier in England than in Turin.”
But despite Arthur’s injury lay-off, the Reds will ultimately have no regrets about missing out on Zakaria. After all, he’s featured even less than the Brazilian since his own deadline day switch.
With the manager who sanctioned his arrival, Thomas Tuchel, sacked a week after deadline day, the 25-year-old seemingly does not feature in successor Graham Potter’s plans. An unused substitute for all five Champions League group games so far, as well as Chelsea’s last three Premier League matches, he is yet to see a minute of action for the London-based outfit.
Meanwhile, Potter was cryptic when recently asked about Zakaria’s future and the possibility of his loan being cancelled in January.
“There has been no decision made at all on that,” he said. “Denis has been in the group and he’s been training well. He’s ready to help the team but obviously there’s competition for places in that area. There’s no talks (about leaving).”
Given the pair’s lack of impact at either Anfield or Stamford Bridge, both deals show the perils of a last-minute loan signing and why an extra body for bodies’ sake isn’t always worth it. Ultimately, both were always going to be up against it and have it all to do if they are to see their temporary switches made permanent.
Given Liverpool’s repeated reluctance to complete transfers in such a fashion, they could be forgiven for wondering if their latest arrival after an 11th hour u-turn was worth the hassle. While they’ll still be hoping Arthur can offer a meaningful contribution before May, he reiterates exactly why the Reds’ ongoing transfer stance remains to plan windows months in advance and get their business done early.
As things stand, signing the Brazilian is a gamble from the bottom of Juventus' bargain basement that just hasn’t paid off, with all of Klopp’s walking wounded in midfield now back in contention. You’d say a lesson learned but this is why the German spent most of the summer publicly warning against such a deal, despite accusations of stubbornness, before his hand was forced by injuries elsewhere.
But with a revamp in Liverpool’s engine room, in the face of expiring contracts and ageing stars, still planned for 2023, rest assured Reds bosses will be working hard to avoid a repeat of the Arthur saga regardless of how his Anfield career now unfolds.
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