Liverpool announced the surprise signing of Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo on transfer deadline day yesterday.
The move wasn’t completely out of the blue in the sense that Liverpool were desperate for a midfielder. But the identity of the new-boy was a real shock.
After a whirlwind day, the 26-year-old spoke to liverpoolfc.com for his first interview as a Reds player. And by the sound of it, Arthur can’t wait to work with Jurgen Klopp.
“He’s [Klopp] a sensational guy, one of the best coaches in the world. He is so intelligent, full of emotion, he’s friends with the players and plays alongside them,” he said.
“He’s on the side-lines as if he’s playing on the pitch with you. I don’t think there’s any better feeling having someone like this alongside you. As I just said, he’s highly intelligent and understands so much about football, with a lot of experience. It will be a pleasure.”
Klopp looking to reignite Arthur
Although Arthur is at a little bit of a low ebb in his career, his words still demonstrate the pull of having Klopp at Liverpool.
Even with the issues Arthur has, it’s unlikely The Reds could have attracted a player like him before Jurgen took charge.
Now, it almost feels as though he’s the one who should be surprised at landing a move to Liverpool. Such is the transformation the club has gone through under Klopp.
The German is a coach who every top player in the world would surely love to play for.
Arthur must now try to make the most of the chance he has to do exactly that. He may not have been on Liverpool’s radar this summer, but he’s here now.
Klopp will be pleased to have him aboard and will immediately be working on how best to use his talents.
Managers like Max Allegri and Andrea Pirlo have failed to get the best out of Arthur. But with respect to Allegri especially, Klopp’s management is on a different level.
If anyone can reignite Arthur’s career, it’s the Liverpool boss. That’s exactly what makes this move so deliciously intriguing. Jurgen has made worse players than the Brazilian look like world beaters. Hopefully he can repeat the trick with The Reds’ new no.29.
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