Fabinho deal shows change in Liverpool transfer history

While Liverpool fans are still coming to terms with The Reds' Champions League final upset, Jürgen Klopp made the first move in next season's master plan to snap up Monaco midfielder Fabinho.

The eccentric Germany manager has shown no signs of defeat despite Liverpool's 2-1 loss to Real Madrid less than 72 Hours ago, and his first signing of the Summer transfer window may be the first indication of a new dawn on Merseyside.

Fabinho, 24, likely signed as a replacement for soon to depart Emre Can, was announced yesterday evening in a shock transfer with rumours circulating just hours before.

The Brazilian midfielder will officially become a Liverpool player on July 1st in a deal worth around £39m with £5m in potential add ons.

On the player's arrival, manager Klopp said: "He can play 'six', 'eight' and 'two'. This is cool.''

The boss' comments indicate a desire for cover in areas where Liverpool have lacked in recent months with severe need for strength in depth if they are to become serious title challengers next season.

With Fabinho's versatility they have potentially signed a player who can utilise a number of different positions allowing players to be shipped out during the window to free up funds.

However, while Reds' fans quickly scout out their latest signing on YouTube, they will eagerly be anticipating the next addition to Anfield with more deals expected to be completed prior to the World Cup.

Lyon's Nabil Fekir is one name linked with a £60 million move to Merseyside while Naby Keita is a player Klopp and co. snapped up last year from Red Bull Salzburg - with the player like Fabinho set to be an official player on July 1.

Analysis

No time for upset for Klopp (image: joburg post)

Klopp's idealisation regarding key targets indicates his unwillingness to settle for second best with his visualisation demonstrating a desire for a Liverpool team in his own image.

While The Reds were bested by Spanish giants Madrid in the grand stage of the Champions League, the level of calibre in the squad on paper boasted a difference in class with Los Blancos able to introduce impactful players from the bench to change the game.

Liverpool's most expensive transfer Virgil Van Dijk cost £80m in the January window, meanwhile Gareth Bale, signed for the same cost three season previous, was only able to make the 15 man squad before being introduced midway through the second half.

With The Reds finishing fourth in the Premier League and ending the 2017-18 season with no Silverware, they will be hoping to accumulate a squad capable of challenging successfully on four fronts next term.

Klopp wishes to attract players as soon as possible to acclimatise his additions to his style of football with many such as Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain needing time to settle in at Anfield.

Fabinho's signing indicates a change in landscape for Liverpool, gone are the days of players waiting for big clubs to come knocking; a sleeping giant on Merseyside is already at the door.

Liverpool reaping benefits of life after Coutinho

As Liverpool place one foot into the final of the Champions League, they do so around 150lbs lighter and £150m better off as a liberated squad look better than ever after Phillipe Coutinho left for the shores of Barcelona.

The Reds, still coming to terms with what may be their biggest victory of the season have done so in style after sweeping aside AS Roma 5-2 thanks to goals from Mohammad Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

A scenario that a couple of months ago looked a world away is now a reality with Jürgen Klopp's men just one win away from meeting either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Kiev.

However, one man may have regretted his search for success by leaving Anfield earlier this year, as Coutinho, a man who the Merseyside club once relied so heavily on  - is now a forgotten figure, a mere footnote in the history of the club on the verge of creating a dynasty.

Liverpool racked up 20 victories in 33 games in all competitions prior to Coutinho's exit scoring 77 goals, conceding 39 goals while following his transfer The Redmen have won 13 of 19 games bagging 47 along the way while conceding 16.

This works out as 2.3 goals scored per game before Coutinho and achieving 2.4 goals in his absence, while the defence would concede an average of 1.1 goals per game with the former talisman while the defensive stats have remained similar.

The form of Liverpool's have eased what looked like being a rough break up, despite the £150m fee, with the recruitment of Virgil Van Dijk just one of the benefits of the former No.10 easing the budget at Anfield.

The Dutch defender, an £80m signing from Southampton in January has, a 72.4% aerial duel success rate, outperforming PFA players of the year Jan Vertonghen and Nicholas Otamendi.

However it is the forward line that has amassed worldwide plaudits, with a free flowing attack and a solid midfield line, The Reds look like a solid team that has achieved a sense of balance that one looked to be built on poor foundations.

A captain's role

Captaining one of Britain's greatest clubs is no easy feat and Jordan Henderson was a man many deemed un up to the task but the Liverpool leader is playing his best football, with much of this down to Coutinho's exit.

Following the Brazillian's relocation to the Nou Camp, a major area of the pitch become available in Klopp's XI and a man who was once criticised for his lack of forward play has shown his ability to create much more from deep.

The captain has demonstrated his ability to maintain stable defensive play while unleashing the forward line of Salah, Firmino and Mane, while also feeding Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gini Wijnaldum who burst forward from the middle of the park.

Henderson's subtle play will often go unnoticed but much of his contribution has been vital in Liverpool turning a corner in 2018, with the former Sunderland man proving doubters wrong.

Rhian Brewster: Ready for the First Team?

With a first team front three of Mohammad Salah, Roberto Firmino firing in over 50-goals in their domestic outings, chances for the younger generation have been hard to come by at Liverpool.

Rhian Brewster has gained an impressive reputation at The Reds for his neat finishing and explosive pace while his record on the International Youth level points to a significant talent for years to come.

Having bagged 20 goals in 22 appearance for the World Cup winning U/17 Three Lions squad, the 18-year-old attracted attention from all of the major clubs but his season has since come to a traumatic end.

Brewster was ruled out for the remainder of the 2018 term after receiving oxygen during a u/23 fixture against Manchester City in January and as a result was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain and ligament damage.

However, the youngster has left a lasting impression on Jürgen Klopp and co. with the player set to become a sporadic performer in the first-team squad next season.

With the German manager keen to 'promote from within' it seems that Brewster could play an integral part in the front line next season.

Rumours of a mega spending spree have circulated since January with reports of Timo Werner, Luan Vieira, and Thomas Lemar all linked with a move to Anfield, but the promotion of a youngster would be a much less costly addition.

Ushered out the door

Sturridge's Anfield career be at  an end? (image: elsport.com)

While the news of Brewster's expected push will come as a positive for him, it will come as a signal of sorrow for Daniel Sturridge - whose Anfield career may be about to come to an end.

A drastic loan move to West Brom was seen as a last roll of the dice to make the World Cup this summer but another setback looks to have ruled out hope for injury prone striker.

Also, with the current front three having embraced the Klopp way of playing, the chances of the former Manchester City and Chelsea forward disrupting the current status quo look slim to none.

With just three goals to his name this season, he is a shadow of the striker who alongside Luis Suarez bagged 23 goals for The Reds in the 2013/14 season but he has failed to replicate his stunning form since.

Oh Danny Boy

Ings has managed to forge a career on Merseyside Image:  (thisisanfield)

Despite the constant reports, Danny Ings has established himself at Liverpool as fourth choice forward having impressed Klopp with his attitude and character to prove himself on Merseyside.

Summer and January rumours linked the 25-year-old with a move to Rafa Benitez's Newcastle with fears his best times were behind him following an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Ings however has shown heart to continue fighting for a place in the German's side and has featured eight times in the first team this season which considering the form of Salah, Firmino and Mane is a feat in itself.

The striker may have a career at Anfield as long as he wants it but it is unlikely he will ever become a regular starter in the side.

Jürgen Klopp made the right move in selling Phillipe Coutinho

As Liverpool fans come to terms with the loss of yet another star player to FC Barcelona, one man has brought back the discipline and respect that has been absent since the days of Kenny Dalglish, Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly.

Klopp let Coutinho go for one very valid reason (image: Liverpool Echo)

Phillipe Coutinho decided his time at Anfield was at an end, and rather than waiting until the end of the campaign the Brazilian masterminded a plan to leave Merseyside for the Nou Camp - when all he had to do was ask.

The idea of a player forcing through a move and not wanting to play for a club as grand as Liverpool would be met with a straight "see you later" from the legends that have managed the club in the past, and Jürgen Klopp brought back the days of hard stances as he waved bye-bye to the playmaker.

With a warchest now available to target his top stars, the German refused to be caught up in the saga that has embroiled many fans and reporters over the winter period.

The arrival of Van Djik should somewhat cushion the blow (image: Mirror)

While the arrival of £75m Virgil Van Djik will cover the blow, what fans should be praising at this current period is the attitude of their manager who stood up for the values of Liverpool and gave in to the wishes, with the belief that you should only be at the club if you want to.

Coutinho did not. His 'heartfelt' message on Instagram signified how much the club meant to him, and while he got his dream move, he left behind a tarnished reputation, and through away the loyalty, respect and regard that fans on Merseyside once held him so high within.

"Since the moment I arrived in Liverpool , me and my family have been made to feel so welcome and have made so many friends.

On the pitch and off the pitch, we have experienced the beauty of this club and its fans. In turn, I hope I have delivered memories and moments that have brought happiness to the Liverpool supporters.

Moving to Liverpool, I knew the club’s greatness and history but what I did learn during my time was the unique heart and soul of the place. It has its own personality and character.

I leave Liverpool because Barcelona is a dream for me. Liverpool was a dream that I was fortunate enough to realise and I have given five years of my life to it. A career on the pitch only lasts for so long and to play for Barcelona as well as Liverpool is something I want to experience and enjoy while I am blessed enough to be able to do so.

I hope the supporters understand that choosing to experience something new is not about diminishing their importance to me or the club’s importance. Nothing will ever diminish that in my heart.

I wish Jürgen and the team nothing but joy and success for the rest of this season and beyond. This is an amazing team and they are getting better and better all the time.

There are too many people I want to thank, but I cannot name everyone individually.

To all the amazing club staff who have been part of my life in Liverpool - I will miss you. To the owners, whom have tried so hard to bring success, and to the football recruitment staff for showing faith in me to bring me here and rewarding me during that journey, and to my incredible teammates, past and present, who have helped me grow and improve as a player and a person, I would like to say thank you to you all. Anything I have achieved here would not have been possible without you.

And finally, to the most important people of Liverpool - the Liverpool supporters. I can never thank you enough for what you have given me during this time and no matter where I go in the world, for the rest of my life, I will always cherish Liverpool in my heart. You, the club and the city will always be a part of me.

You’ll Never Walk Alone.

Philippe."

The post has irked Reds fans, with suggestion that the message was written by one of the players PR team as the lack of true goodbye will come at a price.

Just seen Coutinho’s farewell Instagram post - beautiful message, just a shame it wasn’t actually written by him.

— Leanne Prescott (@_lfcleanne) January 8, 2018

Coutinho's farewell message the biggest load of crap I've ever seen - he didn't write a word of this. 100% delivered by PR team. pic.twitter.com/4VW33QrK4N

— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) January 9, 2018

However, with players in the squad who want to fight for the cause, it may be easier for Klopp to now create a team in his image; the manager has always been an underdog, capable of creating inspiration, and with a team lacking in quality, they'll need his skills more than ever.