Jürgen Klopp already has his Casemiro at Liverpool and this could explain Fabinho’s transfer stance

Liverpool appear to have selected five players for midfield rebuilding, and it’s a telling indication of what the future holds for Fabinho after a poor season.

Defensive midfield is one of the most important positions in modern football, as Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have all demonstrated this season.

Rodri was named Champions League player of the season after scoring the winning goal in the final against Inter Milan, and was undoubtedly one of the top three players in City’s treble-winning campaign.

Casemiro, meanwhile, has helped transform United, taking Erik ten Hag’s side from sixth in the 2021/22 season to third this year.

And on the other hand, Liverpool saw how Fabinho’s struggles destabilized the whole team.

Curiously, however, the Reds found another player to compete with Casemiro in the latter part of the season. During his 10-game run in a hybrid midfield role, Trent Alexander-Arnold earned 80 possessions.

According to The Analyst’s David Segar, the former Real Madrid player was the only Premier League player to surpass that record (89).
At the same time, there was a marked improvement in Fabinho’s form.

Even if he wasn’t at his best, he was definitely a lot closer than he’d been in a really bad season.

And perhaps part of the reason was that Alexander-Arnold, along with the impressive Curtis Jones (as explored here), took some of the responsibility for winning the ball from his midfield partner.

In fact, there was a common narrative that Fabinho struggled because too much was asked of him in an unbalanced midfield.

Since the players in front of him offered almost no resistance on the counterattack, he had to cover too great a distance.

Now, however, Jurgen Klopp could have solved the problem by changing Liverpool’s system.

It is believed the change was aimed at bringing out the best in Alexander-Arnold, unleashing his full creative potential and minimizing his defensive weaknesses.

If that was the plan, it worked like a charm as the 24-year-old was one of the best performers in the division throughout the preseason, registering seven assists in ten games.

But what if the change also involved helping Fabinho, the former “lighthouse” who in turn seemed lost at sea?

This summer, the Brazilian looks set to be at the center of a betting game in midfield.

After kicking off the renewal with a move for Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool have compiled a five-man list which includes Khéphren Thuram (Nice), Manu Koné (Borussia

Mönchengladbach), Gabri Veiga (Celta Vigo), Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Monaco) and Roméo Lavia (Southampton), according to James Pearce of The Athletic.

While Kone and Lavia may be able to fill the role in the long term, neither of those players really look like a worthy replacement for Fabinho in the squad in the short term.

They are certainly not as established as Fabinho when he arrived from Monaco in 2018 as Ligue 1 winner, Brazilian international and former Champions League semi-finalist.

Instead, the focus appears to be on finding improvements at the No.8 position, with Klopp still viewing the 29-year-old as an ‘integral’ player for now, according to Pearce’s report.

It certainly seems like a risk given how badly Fabinho struggled last season and how much his troubles cost Liverpool.

The club’s fortunes will partly rest in the hands of a player whose relegation seemed to be on the cards for much of the season.

But perhaps Alexander-Arnold’s superb contribution to victory explains the Reds’ confidence and may be the key to making a strengthened midfield work next season.