Liverpool’s perfect Fabinho replacement sees the game ‘two seconds before everyone else’
As Fabinho’s glittering five-year Liverpool career appears to be edging towards its end after Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad lodged a £40m bid for the midfielder, Jurgen Klopp’s side will be forced back into the market for a suitable replacement.
Although the 29-year-old Brazilian has struggled for form in the last 18 months and such a fee would see the Reds recoup almost all of the outlay they parted with to sign the midfielder from AS Monaco in the summer of 2018, sourcing an individual that will be able to replicate Fabinho’s levels during his first three years at the club will prove difficult.
And even more so after Declan Rice sealed a £105m move to Arsenal late last week and Moises Caicedo seemingly edging towards a transfer to Chelsea. It means there are very few high profile options available to the Reds.
In days since Fabinho’s Anfield departure has gathered serious momentum, Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat and Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips have both been cited as potential successors to the 29-year-old. But with Phillips having endured a season of struggle since his £42m move to the Etihad last summer, and set to turn 28 before the end of the year, it’s difficult to see Liverpool, who have previously distanced themselves from links with the former Leeds man, being interested in a deal for the England international.
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Meanwhile, Amrabat’s lack of experience at the top level of the European game ahead of his 27th birthday later this year makes it difficult to reason his case as a ready-made No.6 to aid Liverpool’s drive back to the top table of both the English and European game.
One name that has tentatively been linked with a move to Merseyside in recent months, though, is Benfica’s Florentino Luis. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder is the latest talent fresh off the Estadio da Luz production line and has even earned comparisons to the legendary Chelsea and Real Madrid holding midfielder Claude Makelele.
Luis currently plies his trade in Portugal’s Primeira Liga, which is a region Liverpool have scouted extensively in recent years under the influence of former sporting director Julian Ward. The 42-year-old had previously served as head of analysis and technical scouting for the Portuguese Football Federation in 2008 before he was later appointed as Liverpool’s European scouting director for the areas of Spain and Portugal in 2012.
As a result of such positions, Ward was able to utilise his connections in that part of the globe to aid Liverpool’s swift pursuits of both Luis Diaz from FC Porto in January 2022 and Darwin Nunez from Benfica five months later.
After Enzo Fernandez’s left the Lisbon-based giants earlier this year in a Premier League record transfer to Chelsea, Luis appears to be the latest member of Roger Schmidt’s side destined for a move across the continent.
At 23, Luis is surprisingly yet to force himself into the Portugal national team despite his rise to prominence with Benfica over the course of the 2022/23 season. The midfielder was an ever-present figure in the Eagles’ run to the Champions League quarter-final which saw them topple both European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus to top Group H.
The 2023/24 Premier League season is fast approaching and Liverpool will be hoping to be back competing for top spot.
Ahead of the action commencing, the ECHO have put together an ultimate 48-page guide to take a deeper dive into Liverpool’s new signings and how they are likely to be utilised by Klopp. A closer look will also be taken at the players expected to make their mark for the Reds in 2023/24, in addition to a club-by-club guide to the other 19 Premier League teams.
This pre-season special costs £3 and will go on sale from July 26, though can currently be pre-ordered to ensure a speedy delivery from this date. Worldwide shipping is available.
Speaking of his talents earlier this year, former Benfica youth coach Joao Tralhao said: “Technically speaking, it’s not easy to find a midfielder with the defensive qualities he has. I used to joke with him and say that he saw the game two seconds before everyone else. It’s amazing the amount of interceptions he makes, the way he can be in the right position all the time.
“He is always in the right space to regain the ball and he has improved so much in terms of duels, using his body, protecting the ball in contact and so on.”
Though acting as a something akin to a human vacuum cleaner in front of the back-four, more often than not in a 4-2-3-1 system, hasn’t been Luis’ only approach to carving out a reputation for himself as one of Portugal’s most exciting stars. In fact, according to Fbref, Benfica’s No.61 averaged 7 progress passes per 90 last season – which was only bettered by Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.23), Jordan Henderson (8.22) and Thiago Alcantara (8.63) across the Liverpool squad in the Premier League. For comparison, Fabinho averaged just 5.42.
