WELCOME TO ANFIELD!Liverpool agree perfect replacement of Thiago, player coming to Anfield this summer contract accepted

WELCOME TO ANFIELD!Liverpool agree perfect replacement of Thiago, player coming to Anfield this summer contract ACCEPTED 

Liverpool find themselves in something of a predicament as Fabinho moves closer toward a transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad.

The Brazilian signed for Liverpool from AS Monaco in 2018 and has gone on to play 219 times for the club, gaining the nicknames ‘Dyson’ and ‘The Lighthouse’ for his ability to read play and spring counter-attacks into action. Across five years on Merseyside, Fabinho has helped the team win every major honour they have competed for.

However, his time etching himself into the fabric of the club’s history appears to be coming to end, as an offer believed to be in the region of £40m is being mulled over by Anfield officials, while the player himself not travelled with the 32-man squad to Germany to continue pre-season training.

This leaves numerous questions over what Liverpool will do in the 30-day period that stands between now and the first Premier League fixture of the season away to Chelsea.

The Reds have already spent £95m on two midfield additions this summer – Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. These are more attack-minded options, however, so should Fabinho depart in the coming days, it will be imperative to swiftly snap up a replacement with defensive capabilities in midfield.

In that area the Reds have so far been limited to links to youthful talents, so it will be interesting to see how Jurgen Klopp switches priorities to anyone more ready-made ahead of a crucial season.

This piece of business also comes at a difficult time, with two of the English top-flight’s biggest defensive midfield talents – Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo – having signed for Arsenal and set to join Chelsea respectively. So, working with players that are on the market and using Fbref.com’s database, here are five candidates to take Fabinho’s spot in the Liverpool squad:

Romeo Lavia

The 19-year-old has been linked more than any other defensive midfielder so far this summer. He enjoyed a personally successful breakout in an otherwise chaotic relegation campaign with Southampton during 2022/23, making 29 Premier League appearances.

The ECHO understands that his age and experience would not be a barrier in his potential progression into Liverpool’s squad.

The foundations are clearly there with Lavia for Klopp to emulate his Fabinho project, based on the Belgian’s ability to turn defence into attack.

Throughout last season, Lavia managed 22 progressive carries of the ball, 21 of which entered the opponent’s defensive third. In comparison, Fabinho only recorded 15.

Although it could be argued that the Liverpool midfielder is more commonly associated with his passing range, something that Lavia trails in but not too far behind.

Fabinho completed 88.3% of his attempted passes, while Lavia completed 86.2%. Interestingly, however, the tables are turned when considering long-range passes (30+ yards). Lavia managed a success rate of 73.1% to Fabinho’s 69.4%.

Manu Kone

Another target linked earlier in the summer, Borussia Monchengladbach’s Kone is one of the continent’s most exciting prospects in this position.

The Frenchman offers a similar attraction in the department of moving play forwards, with 166 progressive passes in 2022/23 trumping Fabinho’s total by five. Kone also made more tackles, 74 to 65.

The major downside to any move for the 22-year-old is that an injury sustained before France’s exit from the European Under-2 Championship last month means he would only be reaching fitness come the start of August. Klopp simply has too many issues of this nature already, with Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago also on the road to recovery.

Joao Palhinha

Moving into the ready-made bracket, Fulham’s midfield general offers an interesting prospect for Klopp to mull over.

Since swapping Lisbon for London, the Portugal international impressed as his side bucked the trend to retain their Premier League status. He played a huge part in this, and this is the first reason he is an ideal, proven candidate for Liverpool.

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