As Liverpool jetted off from John Lennon Airport to Stuttgart, there was one man notable only by his absence, Fabinho.
So often the ‘lighthouse’ has been exactly that for the Reds, often unassumingly going about his business but ever since his arrival from Monaco in 2018 but ever-present in the success.
However, following a rollercoaster week that saw captain Jordan Henderson at the centre of a Saudi transfer saga, it appears as though it’s Fabinho who is most likely to be the next cab out of the midfield rebuild rank given his glaring omission from the travelling party.
Linked with a £40million switch to Nuno Espírito Santo’s Al-Ittihad, the 29-year-old may have played his 219th and final game for LFC.
So, that leaves us with only one question in this modern world of football – who could replace him?
Already indexed to a plethora of midfield options this summer, Jorg Schmadtke and Jurgen Klopp are unlikely to be short of possibilities, but James Pearce of The Athletic narrowed it down to just Romeo Lavia, Sofyan Amrabat, Ryan Gravenberch and Kalvin Phillips…for now!
So without further ado, let’s assess the potential new bulbs
Romeo Lavia
Perhaps the most common name tipped with a move to Anfield in recent times, the 19-year-old Southampton starlet is certainly a person of interest to the Reds.
However, despite undoubtedly being a bright prospect, acting as an understudy to Fabinho is one thing, filling the void left behind is another entirely.
Having made only 36 senior outings in his career, Lavia lacks the kind of sample size and experience Klopp would desire at the base of his midfield and as such, doesn’t appear to be an ideal option to replace the outgoing Brazilian.
Instead, the one-cap Belgian teenager should remain a consideration as a smart squad addition and perhaps a longer-term replacement, albeit the reported £50million price tag will need some work.
Sofyan Ambrabat
A name that appeared to be firmly on the radar in January following an eye-catching World Cup, the furore around the Moroccan’s move to Merseyside dispersed as suddenly as it arrived.
That said, the 26-year-old finished the season well for Fiorentina, ending the campaign with 49 appearances across all competitions, earning an impressive 6.86 average SofaScore rating in Serie A in the process.
An out-and-out defensive midfielder, stylistically Amrabat is arguably the closest match to Fabinho in terms of style. Described as ‘extraordinary’ by former England manager Fabio Capello during the World Cup last year – the ex-Feyenoord man would be a smart signing for the Reds at the right price, even if it was just as a high-quality operating stopgap for two or three years whilst others learn their trade.
Ryan Gravenberch
Another name heavily linked with Liverpool this summer, having seemingly been out of favour during his first season at Bayern Munich, the Dutch midfielder has become unsettled over his future in Germany.
Despite the Reds holding a long-standing interest in Gravenberch, in terms of operating as a six, it hasn’t been a regular occurrence for the 6’1 ace. Only 31 of his 221 outings have come as a more defensive-minded midfielder, a fact born out by some of the names he’s compared to by Fbref, featuring Aaron Ramsey, Jude Bellingham and new Red, Alexis Mac Allister.
Undoubtedly a prodigious talent who if a deal was there to be done for Liverpool should be all over, however, perhaps not the Fabinho replacement we need.
DAVID LYNCH: RYAN GRAVENBERCH WOULD ‘WANT’ LIVERPOOL MOVE!
Kalvin Phillips
Arguably the most interesting of the names suggest as possible targets by Pearce, the 27-year-old England man ended a difficult first season at Manchester City following his switch from Leeds United last summer.
The 27-cap star only made 21 appearances across all competitions and completed 90 minutes just twice in the Premier League.
That lack of football, injury woes and the likelihood of a big City asking price are surely reason enough to put the Reds off this candidate.
Redmen Reacts
Whilst none of the targets mooted are Moises Caicedo or Aurélien Tchouaméni level signings – two ideal options in my opinion who are both unavailable for one reason or another – there are genuine merits to all the possibilities.
For me, a shrewd deal to bring Amrabat in whilst also capturing either Lavia or Gravenberch as an understudy would be the move, two transfers you could perhaps pull off for around the £80million mark (the price of a Caidedo or Tchouaméni).
Those moves could also leave money in the coffers for the much sought-after left-sided defender, the identity of whom will hopefully become apparent in the coming days
