Jurgen Klopp will step down from his duties as Liverpool manager at the end of the season. Everyone knows this by now, but the poignancy remains.
Liverpool are fighting with zest and zeal to secure a fitting finale for their illustrious boss, having already clinched the Carabao Cup in February, fighting for the Europa League and perched in first place in the Premier League, though only marginally ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City.
While it's terribly sad that this remarkable man will relinquish control of the manager's spot at Anfield, having lifted Liverpool back to the forefront of English and European football after many interminable years of mediocrity, the squad is in a good place to continue his legacy and fight for silverware in the years to come.
It's certainly better placed than this time last year, with a sapped and sagging midfield in dire need of a revamp. Jordan Henderson was an elite captain throughout these halcyon days, Fabinho steely and strong in the holding role. Both sold.
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departed at the end of their contracts and the replacements in the centre have created this newfound fluency that has already bred trophies.
But all these players enjoyed success on Merseyside, to varying degrees. The bottom of the barrel is surely a dud who was never even on the permanent books at the club in Arthur Melo. Truly staggering in his failed stint under Klopp's wing.
Why Liverpool signed Arthur
Arthur joined Liverpool from Juventus on a season-long loan on summer transfer deadline day in 2022, with the whole deal screaming panic for an outfit that needed reinforcing in the centre but had run out of time and options.
Aurelian Tchouameni was the top target, of a vested interest in 2023 before completing his €100m (£85m) move from Monaco to Real Madrid, and when Liverpool lost out on the France international it did feel a touch like the club were loathe to look elsewhere, with efforts instead invested in signing Darwin Nunez for a club-record £85m fee.
But it was clear that fresh mettle was needed with the aforementioned host of midfielders headed for the exit. It's just a bit perplexing that the answer emerged in the form of Arthur, known for his crisp, intelligent passing but also infamous for his fitness issues and injury record.
The Brazilian's previous campaign in Turin had been marred by setbacks and he only managed to start 11 times in Serie A, albeit impressing with a 90% success rate, winning 64% of his duels and succeeding with 91% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.
Okay okay. In theory it was a half-decent move, if rushed, if panicked, but a permanent move should have been agreed for a player more suitable to Klopp's project much earlier.
What ensued was only misery for player and club both.
Arthur's 22/23 season in numbers
Arthur made his Liverpool debut on September 7th 2023, entering for the final 13 minutes of play in Naples as Klopp's flagging side were defeated against high-flying Napoli in the Champions League group stage.
That was the extent of his competitive Liverpool career, ruled out soon after with a thigh injury and returning to training in February, also competing in U21 fixtures.
While Arthur made the bench for five further top-flight fixtures, he was not granted a single minute of football and can only look back at his year on Merseyside with profound ruefulness, with detrimental issues ravaging what would initially have been a joyous endeavour.
Matches played
1
Minutes played
13'
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
Touches
21
Accurate passes
11/13 (85%)
Key passes
0
Tackles
1
Duels won
2/4
Arthur's loan move had the option inserted to tie up for good for a fee of around £32m – it's safe to say that little discussion would have been held concerning activating such a clause following what was a dismal and luckless year on English shores.
How much Arthur cost Liverpool
While Liverpool opted – rightly – against securing Arthur's services (or lack of) on a permanent deal, a £4m loan fee was still an outlay too large for a player who endured such a torrid time.
Moreover, Arthur earned a healthy salary of £110k-per-week during his time at Anfield, taking his total cost to around £10m. Considering that Arthur played just one fixture, all the funds parted with for the 27-year-old's place in the senior squad went toward that single, measly appearance.
Journalist Pete O'Rourke, speaking to Football FanCast, perhaps summed it up best, saying toward the end of Arthur's England sojourn: "I think it's pretty fair to say it's been an unmitigated disaster, he has only played a few minutes as a sub against Napoli."
He was once described as an “extraordinary” technician by Old Lady manager Maximiliano Allegri and indeed has some glowing qualities that make him a good fit for a top side. He's played for Juventus and Barcelona, after all.
This season, now plying his trade for Fiorentina, Arthur has enjoyed far brighter fortunes, completing 27 Serie A matches thus far, succeeding with 92% of his passes, averaging 1.0 key passes, 1.4 tackles and 4.5 ball recoveries per game while winning 66% of his ground duels.
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However, his attempt in England truly was a woeful move for all involved and the success of stars such as Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo at present illuminate just how shoddy a deal it was.
Had a bit more prudence and endeavour been on display in 2022, Liverpool might have avoided a calamitous year entirely.
