Comparing Liverpool target’s stats to Reds’ midfielders

Liverpool are reportedly in talks over a transfer deadline day swoop for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo – but would he represent an upgrade on the midfielders currently at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal?

Midfield has become a sticking point for Liverpool fans during their slow start to the Premier League season.

The likes of James Milner, Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson are all over the age of 30, while the Reds have suffered from a slew of injuries to midfielders, with Thiago, Henderson, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain currently sidelined.

The club haven’t signed a midfielder since Georginio Wijnaldum left for PSG in 2021 and manager Jurgen Klopp has previously hinted that he would like reinforcements.

“A little difficult [to answer], I’m not really the right person to ask,” Klopp told Sky Germany when asked about midfield signings following his team’s defeat against Manchester United on 22 August.

“As a manager, I’d like to have more players who are available, naturally. But that’s all I can say. We’re always working on it. But whether we can do something, I don’t know.”

And now it seems that Liverpool are ready to reinforce their midfield with the signing of Arthur. The 26-year-old joined Juventus from Barcelona in 2020 but is surplus to requirements in Turin.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Brazil international is on his way to Merseyside to complete a medical at the club before signing a season-long loan deal.

But how would he fit into Klopp’s squad? We’ve compared Arthur’s 2021-22 Serie A stats to the corresponding Premier League numbers of Liverpool’s current midfield options.

Note: We’ve not included Harvey Elliott due to a low number of appearances last season.

Goals
Fabinho – 5
Naby Keita – 3
Jordan Henderson – 2
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 2
Thiago Alcantara – 1
Curtis Jones – 1
Arthur Melo – 0
James Milner – 0

Assists
Jordan Henderson – 5
Thiago Alcantara – 4
Fabinho – 1
Curtis Jones – 1
Naby Keita – 1
James Milner – 1
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 1
Arthur Melo – 0

Minutes per goal or assist
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 262.3
Naby Keita – 293.8
Thiago Alcantara – 307.6
Jordan Henderson – 372
Fabinho – 386
Curtis Jones – 428
James Milner – 683
Arthur Melo – N/A

Chances created per 90 minutes
James Milner – 2.6
Thiago Alcantara – 1.7
Jordan Henderson – 1.3
Curtis Jones – 1.2
Naby Keita – 1.1
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 1.1
Fabinho – 0.6
Arthur Melo – 0.6

Passes per 90…