Liverpool have been told that a potential midfield signing is better than Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes.
The Reds have been heavily linked with a move to bring Fluminense’s Andre Trindade to Anfield ever since last summer. However, with the Brazilian side turning down a proposal ahead of the season, Andre stayed put.
As the January transfer window swings into action, the rumours have since continued that the 22-year-old is Liverpool-bound. But with other sides also in the picture now, the Reds interest appears to have cooled.
According to South American football expert Tim Vickery, this could be a mistake on Liverpool’s part. Speaking to Sky Sports Transfer Centre Live yesterday, Vickery expressed his astonishment that Andre is still playing in Brazil.
“It’s amazing to me that Andre is still playing for Fluminense in Brazil,” said the journalist. “Think of the Brazilian central midfielders doing well in the Premier League: Douglas Luiz, Joao Gomes, Danilo, Bruno Guimaraes – Andre might just be the best of the bunch.
“He reminds me a little bit of a young Javier Mascherano, who was so good for Argentina, for Liverpool and for Barcelona. He’s fierce in the tackle, covers a lot of space and, also, he plays for a side that play out from the back, so he really has to receive the ball in pressure situations. It’s a real surprise to me that he’s still in Brazil and that he’s not attracting interest from the very biggest clubs.”
Vickery amazed by Andre non-transfer
Just prior to the window opening, it had looked likely that Andre would indeed be on his way to the Premier League and to Fulham.
With Joao Palhinha now looking likely to stay at Craven Cottage though, the West Londoners interest seems to have gone the way of Liverpool’s.
That will be incredibly frustrating for Andre, who saw a dream move to Anfield blocked by his club over the summer.
In hindsight, that ended up being good for everyone. Fluminense kept their star man who led them to a first ever Copa Libertadores glory, while Andre himself got to experience that success as an academy graduate and symbol of the team. He’s now immortal at Flu.
Nevertheless, if the Brazil international now struggles to get his move before the January window closes, the Liverpool non-transfer might start to be looked back on with some regret.
The Reds too, should be looking back a little wistfully. If Andre is as good as Vickery says he is, then they’ve really dropped the ball here.
Of course, there’s still time to rectify things and return for the Mascherano-esque midfielder. But it really does feel like the ship has now sailed from a Liverpool point of view.
Should no one else come in for Andre, then we think the Reds should seriously reconsider their plan here. They’re still in need of a long-term defensive midfielder and the Brazilian could be that man. Liverpool ended up kicking themselves for not going in for Bruno while he was available. They shouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
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