Trent Alexander-Arnold has had to play in yet another position this summer, with Jordan Henderson departing Liverpool and Fabinho on his way.
Jurgen Klopp has already named his short-term Fabinho replacement for Liverpool.
Liverpool did not want to be without a holding midfielder little over two weeks before the start of the new season as they planned their long-awaited midfield renovation.
Already aware that they would lose Naby Keita, James Milner, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on free transfers this summer, the Reds moved quickly to sign Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai before preseason began. But they had no idea that such plans would be hampered by interest in Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
The Liverpool captain completed a controversial £12m switch to Al-Ettifaq on Thursday, while the Brazilian is expected to join him in the Gulf State with a £40m switch to Al-Ittihad being finalised. But with the pair the Reds’ only senior holding midfielders, their exits have created a dilemma for Jurgen Klopp on the eve of the new season.
Liverpool were already considering signing a third new midfielder this summer, with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia being identified as a long-term successor for Fabinho. The Reds, though, are now prioritizing such a move after having a £38 million deal for the Belgium international rejected.
With a second proposal in the area of £40m-£45m likely for the 19-year-old, Liverpool are at least looking to strengthen in such a position before their Premier League start away at Chelsea on Sunday 13 August. Despite the fact that they also have Stefan Bajcetic, there is no ignoring the fact that having two adolescents with only 55 senior appearances between them as their natural holding midfield alternatives is a risk.
Klopp’s work over the next two weeks is far from enviable, especially given that the Reds have also been using pre-season to continue to get to grips with their new-look 3-2-2-3 formation. While older players may gradually acclimatize to a new system, his freshly formed engine room will be plunged in at the deep end.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool would pursue a fourth midfielder after Fabinho’s departure is announced, with Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara under pressure to provide some familiarity in midfield as new recruits acclimatize to their new surroundings.
However, the former, along with Harvey Elliott, is only recently back for pre-season after helping England win the Under-21 European Championships. Meanwhile, the latter, like Bajcetic, has still not fully recovered from injury and has been left out of the Reds’ trip to Singapore as they continue their recuperation.
Even if Liverpool is successful in signing Lavia, they risk being short in midfield when the new season begins. And, given how soon the start of the new season is approaching for the Reds, Klopp may be compelled to stick with the present forced experiment as a result.
