A report shares how Jurgen Klopp’s phone call with Arthur Melo went down. The Brazilian is expected to join Liverpool later today.
This comes from TuttoMercatoWeb. They share exactly how Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp went about signing Arthur Melo so late in the transfer window.
Arthur is widely expected to join Liverpool later today, of course. He’d arrive on a season-long loan, says the report, with the Reds paying 50% of his wages. Juventus will naturally pay the rest. That’s actually at odds with another report that claimed Liverpool’s willingness to cover his £6m-a-year salary was the factor that made this deal happen.
One other important factor, though, was convincing Arthur. TMW claim that Liverpool decided to push forward with a deal immediately after their 2-1 win over Newcastle United last night.
Jordan Henderson picked up an injury in that game. We don’t yet know how long he’ll be out for but Liverpool had to act fast.
Klopp called Arthur after the game, apparently, and convinced the player of the move ‘in a matter of minutes’. It doesn’t sound as though the Liverpool boss had to do a lot here.
Klopp’s phone call with Arthur Melo
No huge surprise there, then. Arthur is out of favour with Juventus and Liverpool are offering him a very solid position here. He’d come in as a deeper midfielder, essentially offering a little of Thiago’s quality through an aggressive press.
Liverpool have sorely needed that in recent weeks. Given Arthur’s apparent desire to make Brazil’s World Cup squad, that importance at Anfield could revitalise his career.
All he has to do is hold onto that enthusiasm and motivation. It’s something fans have criticised Arthur for before, after all, and Liverpool don’t really stand for anything under 100% commitment.
Klopp must have told him that over the phone, though. If it really was that easy to convince him, Arthur should be ready to step up.
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