Liverpool’s 2023/24 Premier League season begins on August 13th with a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, and the club may have a few fresh faces on display.
Last month, the Reds made their first signing of the summer transfer season, signing Argentina international Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal worth up to £55 million.
Jurgen Klopp followed that up with a July move for RB Leipzig offensive midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai. The Merseyside giants are said to have paid a sum of £60 million to capture the Hungary international’s services.
There could also be a departure in that area of the pitch for Liverpool, as it has been rumoured that Brazilian enforcer Fabinho is close to joining Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, with Bayern Munich also interested.
According to reports, the Reds might collect £40 million for the former AS Monaco star, which could assist bankroll a prospective replacement before the end of the transfer window.
Following a successful debut season in England, Klopp might forget about Fabinho by signing Fulham defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha ahead of next season.
The Daily Mail reported in June that the Portugal international could cost up to £90 million, and it was recently claimed that Liverpool have considered the Portugal international as a possible midfield addition, though it is unclear how much they would be willing to pay for him.
The former Sporting CP star might help the German head coach’s club. Last season, Palhinha averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 throughout 35 Premier League games, compared to the £40m-rated warrior’s score of 6.87, and he stood out with 5.5 tackles and interceptions per game.
His 4.2 tackles per game for the Cottagers were 1.8 more than any Liverpool player in any position this season and 2.4 more than Fabinho’s 1.8 per game.
Palhinha, nicknamed “Casemiro-esque” by journalist Zach Lowy, also won more duels per match (8.0) than the Brazilian international (3.5) and won a higher percentage of his duels (59% to 50%).
This implies that the 28-year-old monster would be an upgrade in terms of his ability to consistently win battles and reclaim possession for his team.
Indeed, the Fulham colossus ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers across the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions for tackles made per 90 (4.26) over the last 365 days – three percentiles higher than Manchester United’s Casemiro – demonstrating that he has been one of the best ball-winning midfielders in England since his arrival.
His immediate adaption to Premier League football was outstanding, and his form implies that he might be a major upgrade over Fabinho, based on the huge enforcer’s average performance level and defensive contributions per game versus the current Liverpool man.
As a result, Klopp could forget about the Brazilian midfielder and authorise the deal to Al Ittihad without worrying about the state of his squad by buying Palhinha to replace that role.
