Liverpool appear to have come up with a shortlist of five players to rebuild their midfield, and it's a sign of what Fabinho's future will look like after a disappointing season.
Defensive midfielders are one of the most important positions in modern football, as Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have all proven this season.
Rodri was named Champions League Player of the Season after scoring in the final win over Inter Milan, and is arguably one of the top three players in City's treble campaign.
Casemiro, meanwhile, has helped transform United, taking Erik ten Hag's side from sixth in the 2021/22 standings to third this year.
On the other hand, Liverpool saw how Fabinho's difficulties destabilized the entire team. Oddly enough, however, the Reds have found another player who can rival Casemiro in the latter part of the season.
In 10 games as a hybrid midfielder, Trent Alexander-Arnold won the ball 80 times. According to David Segar of The Analyst, the former Real Madrid player is the only Premier League player to improve that number (89).
At the same time, Fabinho's form has improved markedly. While he's not back to his absolute best yet, he's certainly come a lot closer than he did during a bad season. And perhaps part of the reason for that is that Alexander-Arnold, combined with the impressive Curtis Jones (as explored here), took some errors in winning the ball from his midfield partner. .
Indeed, there was a common story that Fabinho struggled because he was asked to do too much in an unbalanced midfield. With the players in front of him unable to resist much on the counter-attack, he had to cover too much.
Now, however, Jürgen Klopp may have solved the problem by changing Liverpool's system. It is rumored that this change is aimed at getting the most out of Alexander-Arnold, unleashing his full creative potential and minimizing his defensive weakness. If that's the plan, it works like a charm as the 24-year-old has been one of the team's standout players throughout the season, recording seven assists in 10 appearances. .
But what if that change was only meant to help Fabinho, the once 'lighthouse' who himself seems to have disappeared at sea?
This summer, the Brazilian appears to be the focus of a bet in midfield. After kicking off the overhaul with the acquisition of Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool designed a shortlist of five players Képhren Thuram (Nice), Manu Koné (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Gabri Veiga (Celta Vigo), Ryan Gravenberch ( Bayern Munich) and Roméo Lavia (Southampton), according to James Pearce of The Athletic.
While Koné and Lavia can take on the role long-term, neither of these players really look like viable short-term replacements for Fabinho in the squad. They are certainly not as established as Fabinho when he joined Monaco as Ligue 1 champions, the Brazil international and Champions League semi-finalist in 2018.
Instead, there seems to be a major focus on finding improvement in the No.8 spot, with Klopp still seeing the 29-year-old as an 'indispensable' player at the moment according to the report. by Pearce.
It certainly feels like a risk when you consider how struggling Fabinho was last season and how much his misfortunes have cost Liverpool. The club's fortunes will be partly in the hands of a player who has been in decline for most of the season.
But perhaps Alexander-Arnold's excellent contribution to winning the ball explains the confidence of the Reds, and perhaps that will be the key to victory.
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