It’s been a strange season for Arthur Melo since joining Liverpool on loan from Juventus on transfer deadline day back in August.
Brought in after the Reds lost Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones to injury in the opening weeks of the season, the Brazilian was ultimately playing catch-up to get fit after a frustrating pre-season of his own.
The former Barcelona midfielder would make his debut coming off the bench against Napoli, featuring for 13 minutes back in September. Eight months on and he hasn’t played for Jurgen Klopp’s first-team since.
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A torn thigh muscle suffered in training back in October required surgery and would rule the Brazil international out until February. By the time of his return, Liverpool’s midfield options were no longer depleted.
An unused substitute for the Reds four times since overcoming injury, most recently against Leicester City last week, the 26-year-old has seven matchday squad appearances to add to his solitary first team outing against Napoli.
Absent from the Liverpool squad that faced Aston Villa on Saturday, he now only has one last chance to make his Premier League debut. With the Reds’ final game of the season coming away at Southampton, it also means the midfielder has missed out on the opportunity to play at Anfield, with his only appearance at the ground being for Barcelona in their infamous Champions League semi-final defeat in 2019.
Arthur will return to Juventus this summer, with it already long-since decided that Liverpool won’t sign the Brazilian permanently. But despite his lack of game-time at Anfield, he recently only had positives to say about his year in England and working with Klopp.
Having not had a chance to witness the midfielder take to the field for the Reds, it is obvious that his loan switch has not worked out. Meanwhile, it’s rather easy to dismiss him as a flop who his temporary manager perhaps didn’t rate.
But Klopp was almost apologetic to the midfielder when addressing his imminent return to Juventus, along with the exits of Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, in his programme notes ahead of facing Aston Villa.
“I would also like to wish Arthur Melo well as his loan period comes to an end,” the German said. “Circumstances meant Arthur was not able to play as much as he would have liked but his professionalism and ability were clear to all who worked with him.”
Meanwhile, Henderson would echo such sentiments when speaking in his own captain’s column.
“On behalf of all the players I would like to wish Arthur Melo the best of luck for whatever comes next in his career,” he said. “I mention luck because it’s the one thing he needs.
“Arthur is an outstanding footballer and that has been very clear in the short time he’s been with us. Hopefully the platform he has given himself since coming back from injury will serve him well in the years to come.”
Set to turn 27 in August, Arthur is perhaps at a career crossroads. Unwanted at Juventus, having been offloaded by Barcelona, he has now ‘failed’ at Liverpool as injuries continue to curse him. But, behind the scenes, it would appear his talent has never been in doubt. Of course, he must have something about him to play for both the La Liga and Serie A giants, as well as the Brazil national team, with the two clubs parting with £71.3m and £34.8m each to sign him.
To Reds fans he will remain an enigma, having never got to witness how ‘outstanding’ he was for themselves. His next steps will determine if he creates a sense of what could have been, or if he’ll just be a forgotten answer on, ‘Name all of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool signings’ quizzes.
‘Who was that Brazilian we signed on loan from Juve again?’ At least, alongside Steven Caulker and Ben Davies, he has company in the Reds’ recent ‘strange signings’ category.
For now, supporters will, perhaps harshly, make up their own minds on Arthur’s talents. His lack of game-time seemingly screams louder than any character reference, with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Mason Mount perhaps now emerging as the Ibrahima Konate to the Brazilian’s Ozan Kabak.
If he doesn’t feature against Southampton on the last day of the season, his loan switch will be perceived as a monumental waste of time, and a constant reminder of how the club’s botched efforts to manage their midfield revamp left them suffering a transitional season. The Brazilian ultimately leaves more questions than answers.
Still, we’ll have to take Klopp and Henderson’s word for it. Arthur Melo, Liverpool’s ‘outstanding’ midfield solution who never even had a chance to solve the Reds’ ongoing problem.
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