Liverpool signed 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder Fabinho from A.S Monaco in the summer for around €45 Million. This clearly was a bargain for the Merseyside club. But things have not gone as smoothly as expected.
Fabinho switched to the English Premier League after enjoying 5 successful years at Monaco. The Brazilian plays as a defensive midfielder and Liverpool boosted their already strong midfield by adding him as an option.
However, life at Liverpool has been really slow for Fabinho and isn’t going as he may have imagined. Everyone expected him to be a regular in the starting XI but that hasn’t been the case. Fabinho has managed just a handful of starts until now, two of which have come in Liverpool’s last 2 games and the ex-Monaco man has performed well in them.
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Liverpool and Monaco have different playing styles and the Premier League is more physical and intense as compared to Ligue 1 so it’s understood that Fabinho is taking some time to settle into his life in England.
Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp resonates the same feelings. In one of the press conferences, Klopp had the following to say about his Brazilian Midfielder,
"“It is about players understanding the position and who else is available as well, otherwise Fabinho would have been involved in the squad as he was in the first week. That is it. It is different football to what he is used to but he is improving already with big steps.I can see that in the sessions and that is cool. He is used to playing at a high level in France. It is not about who we play but about how we play. It is all fine. For sure it is not nice for a new player (to not be playing). It never was.”"
With injuries to club captain Jordan Henderson & summer recruit Naby Keita, Fabinho has made full use of this opportunity and has impressed in the last two games against Cardiff City and Arsenal.
Nonetheless, a recent article from Le Parisien states the Paris Saint-Germain are considering a loan move for the Brazilian Midfielder to strengthen their midfield. They also state that Fabinho is “bored” of his less game time in Liverpool and is already considering alternatives. The Parisian club has tried to sign Fabinho since the last 2 seasons and was beaten by Liverpool after his former club, AS Monaco blocked his move to Le Rouge-et-Bleu.
The French Champions, however, are interested in taking Fabinho on loan. This option of a loan arises because of PSG’s issues with Financial Fair Play. The club cannot spend heavily in the January transfer window and hence a loan move would suit them the best. The only other economical option that they seem to have is a permanent move for Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Fabinho sure has got off to a slow start at Liverpool but is slowly gaining Klopp’s trust. It’s fair to say that Liverpool fans shouldn’t worry about rumours of him considering a switch back to Ligue 1 as he is starting to get used to Liverpool’s style of play and can soon reach his best.
Even Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp is helping him settle in the club and has changed to a formation having two holding midfielders, a style of play that Fabinho is more comfortable with. Just like Andrew Robertson, who got off to a slow start at Liverpool but now plays a key role, it’s just a matter of time before Fabinho starts finding his feet at The Reds.
Will Fabinho stay at Liverpool & fight for his place or will he choose to head back to France in January?