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Arsenal legend and former Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit has claimed that Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia should have joined Liverpool this summer.

The midfield pair moved to Stamford Bridge for a combined fee of around £170 million earlier in August.

Both players were subject to heavy interest from Liverpool – particularly former Brighton star Caicedo. The Reds had a club-record bid accepted for the midfielder, but he turned down the opportunity to move to Anfield as he wanted to join Chelsea instead.

The Blues returned to Brighton with an improved offer, and sealed a British-record £115 million deal.

Meanwhile, Liverpool saw three bids rejected by Southampton for Lavia, as they did not meet the Saints’ £50 million valuation.

Chelsea then swooped for the midfielder, and The Athletic reported that, by then, that the Belgian wanted to join Mauricio Pochettino’s side over Liverpool.

Liverpool, therefore, missed out on the signings of both midfielders, before swooping to sign Japan international Wataru Endo from Stuttgart. The 30-year-old made his Reds debut during the 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

Now, Petit has called out both Caicedo and Lavia for not moving to Anfield over Chelsea – while also appearing to imply his belief about why both players chose the Blues.

Emmanuel Petit slams Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia

Speaking to Bettingsites.co.uk, the Frenchman, who won the Premier League with Arsenal and the World Cup in 1998, explained: “I’m not going to say anything stupid, but we all know why they went to Chelsea.

“Sportingly, the best decision right now would be to go to Liverpool. If I am Caicedo or Lavia, I’m going to Liverpool instead of Chelsea because I can’t see a clear plan for what is going on at Chelsea.

“They now have around 35 players, which is crazy! Thirty-five players? Come on. How many players do they need? It’s going to be a nightmare just like what happened last season.

“When you look at Liverpool, there is one area in particular that needs to be upgraded, and that is the midfield area. Even though they signed new players in [Dominik] Szoboszlai and [Alexis] Mac Allister.

“If I was Caicedo, I would have signed for Liverpool because I would reunite with Mac Allister and I would play with less pressure because so many of their midfield players have left. For me, the answer is very easy.”

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Liverpool set for $44m transfer reminder as Mohamed Salah can show if Jürgen Klopp missed out

Jürgen Klopp has been prioritizing his midfield department this summer, and rightly so considering that proved to be Liverpool’s biggest weakness last season, with the team finishing fifth in the Premier League table. A huge renovation job has been undertaken in the club’s engine room, with Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta all departing.

Those players have so far been replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, with Klopp nearing the end of his seismic rebuild in the middle of the park. Once his midfield department has been completely regenerated, the Reds seem likely to address their defensive line, with Joël Matip’s contract due to expire next year.

Liverpool has been interested in adding a new center-back this summer, but that need hasn’t ranked near the top of the to-do list on Merseyside. Interest in Levi Colwill was widely reported but after months of speculation, the English defender decided to stay at Chelsea, signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

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The Blues wonderkid has plenty of quality and potential attached to his profile, but he is also left footed. Klopp is said to have an interest in a left-footed option in defense, with Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konaté all right footed. In fact, the last left-footed center-back at Anfield was Ragnar Klavan.

Upon inspection of the rest of the Premier League, Klopp is competing against managers who have what he doesn’t. Pep Guardiola has new signing Joško Gvardiol and Nathan Aké at Manchester City. Mikel Arteta has two lefties in Gabriel Magalhães and Jakub Kiwior at Arsenal. Erik ten Hag has Lisandro Martínez at Manchester United after bringing him from Ajax last year, and Newcastle United has Sven Botman.

Indeed, Liverpool is scheduled to come up against the latter this weekend. Botman is a relatively new addition, having joined the Magpies from Lille just 12 months ago. The Dutchman is a physically imposing presence standing around 1.95m tall, he’s capable in possession, and he favors his left boot.

Still just 23 years old, he’s already proved to be a great capture for the Toon.

Photo by Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images

(Image: Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images)

Lille demanded around $44m (£35m/€41m) for Botman’s signature at the time, and that has since proved to be a solid investment. He appeared in all but two of Newcastle United’s 38 Premier League matches last term, having been named as a starter by Howe in 35 of them.

The Toon posted the joint-best defensive record with Botman as a fixed pillar of strength, conceding just 33 goals from 38 games, which was the same amount shipped by champions Manchester City.

The Dutch international was tipped for a move to Merseyside back in 2021, when Klopp was attempting to navigate a disastrous injury crisis in the heart of his defense. Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip all suffered season-ending injuries, which forced Liverpool to explore the market for a solution.

Klopp eventually ended up getting Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke — while also signing Ben Davies from Preston North End for a nominal fee — with Botman proceeding to remain in France for another 18 months before making the switch to Tyneside and competing in the Premier League.

As a left-sided center-back, he will come up against a certain Mohamed Salah this weekend, with Klopp set to be presented with a reminder of what might have been.

The Reds are still looking for a left-footed addition in the market as the transfer window approaches its closure at the end of the month, but if Liverpool had simply moved for Botman around two years ago, Klopp would have one less item on his to-do list right now.

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