Liverpool should sign £30m star with better passing than Van Dijk to address unsettled team concern

The summer transfer window always promises plenty of surprises but Liverpool endured one of the more hectic periods compared to their Premier League counterparts. Five midfielders bid their farewells to Anfield, including Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, leaving Jurgen Klopp with a big hole to fill before the season returned.

The Reds were able to bring in a strong haul of new recruits for the engine room, including £60 million Dominik Szoboszlai, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing on the buying front. Despite being linked with Southampton’s Roméo Lavia for many weeks, Klopp missed out on getting his man after he opted to join Chelsea instead.

This blow came after Liverpool attempted to hijack Chelsea’s move for Moisés Caicedo by offering Brighton a record £111 million out of nowhere. The bid was accepted but the player himself stressed he only wanted to move to Stamford Bridge, resulting in not only losing Caicedo, but Lavia as well.

After that, time was running out for Liverpool to bring in a replacement for Fabinho, who had been Klopp’s first choice defensive midfielder pretty much since he first joined the club in 2018. As Deadline Day loomed, the Reds didn’t look any closer to a new recruit, until the signing of Wataru Endō came barrelling over the line. Due to the nature of the Japanese star’s arrival — not much build-up towards the deal and seemingly done in quite quick fashion — it may have been more of a panicked decision rather than a carefully planned statement signing.

Since his arrival, Endō has started only one Premier League match. Out of the eight match days so far, the 30-year-old has played just 107 minutes, he also spent two games on the bench as an unused substitute. Every signing takes time but the brutal nature of the Premier League means Liverpool don’t have the privilege of time on their side.

Alexis Mac Allister has been slotting into the No.6 role since signing for Liverpool, despite being Brighton’s top scorer last season and flourishing in a more attacking position. The Argentinian has done his job respectably and the Reds are in a strong position at the moment, but without a reliable and natural defensive midfielder, Klopp may be revisiting an old headache in the new year.

January is already fast approaching and the rumour mill has not taken a break in churning out both new and familiar links. Liverpool remain interested in summer target André from Fluminense and they could actually be in with a strong shot of signing him once the winter window opens.

The Reds contacted the Brazilian outfit during the summer but the club made it clear that they would not be parting ways with their midfield star until the new year. Fluminense wanted to keep André for their run in the Copa Libertadores and said that they would discuss him leaving in January, once the tournament was over. The Rio de Janeiro outfit have since made it to the final and stand a very good chance of lifting the trophy.

This is a great situation for all involved. If André and Fluminense win the Copa Libertadores, it’s likely both parties will enter transfer talks on a big high and might be more open to exit talks. Meanwhile Liverpool will get the man they’ve been monitoring for months now, providing they carry their interest into the new year.

Signing André would be a big statement from Klopp and co, as it would show that despite bringing in four new midfielders during the summer, they aren’t willing to settle without truly reliable options. Plus, it would prove their commitment to signing long-standing targets and therefore their dedication to getting the players they want, not just names for the sake of it.

The 2022 Brasileiro Série A season ran from April to November and during that time, André started all but four games, missing three of them due to card suspensions. So while his discipline may be up for debate, it indicates he isn’t afraid to get stuck into challenges, which is exactly what Fabinho was known for. In fact, comparing the two players shows quite similar qualities in other areas too.

According to WhoScored, André averaged 1.1 interceptions and 1.6 tackles per 90 minutes, compared to Fabinho’s average of one interception and 1.8 tackles per match during his last season with Liverpool. The former Red held an impressive average of 88.7 percent passing accuracy but his compatriot trumped him with an even better 92.5 percent accruacy. For context, that was higher than any of Liverpool’s starters, including Virgil van Dijk.

A recent update from TEAMtalk has thrown Arsenal into the mix and claims the Gunners are willing to meet the €35 million (£30m) asking price. If this amount remains the same, it’s quite a nice fee to pay in comparison to the combined £173 million it cost Chelsea for Caicedo (21) and Lavia (19), for example. But Liverpool will need to act fast, as Arsenal are determined to be crowned Premier League champions and if they want a player who might aid that, they will do everything they can to bring him in.