Jurgen Klopp has signed 32 senior players since becoming Liverpool manager back in October 2015. From that total, only two joined the club on loan, with neither later signing for the Reds permanently.
The German is not the biggest fan of the temporary transfer market. The only time he has dipped his toes in such waters is when his hand really has been forced.
Steven Caulker was the first such example in January 2016 where a defensive injury crisis saw him snapped up on loan from Queens Park Rangers. Yet the Sierra Leone international would play just four times for the Reds as such setbacks quickly cleared.
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“Now we have too many centre-halves,” Klopp conceded ahead of his side’s Europa League clash with Manchester United the following March. “The day before we put the squad list in we didn’t have any. Now we have too many and you think: ‘My God what have we done?’
“That was the thing we had to do at that time. Now we have to get into the next round with the players we have available.”
The next time Liverpool signed a player on loan their hand was forced by a defensive injury crisis once again, only this time one much more severe, as Ozak Kabak was brought in from Schalke in January 2021. The Turkey international would make 13 appearances for the Reds before an injury of his own ended his season prematurely, with Klopp then deciding against activating the option to sign the centre-back permanently.
Now on transfer deadline day, the German is closing in on his 33rd signing as Liverpool manager with the Reds in talks to sign Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus. With the potential deal seemingly not containing an option for the club to sign the 26-year-old permanently, such a swoop is ultimately a short-term fix to bolster numbers after seeing Jordan Henderson join an ever-growing injury list.
Liverpool had been on the lookout for the ‘right’ player with proven Champions League quality who would not only be capable of walking straight into their starting XI, but then also be capable of staying in it regardless of players returning from injury. Beyond that, a player who could at least grow into such a beast was the next criteria of interest.
However, given the Reds’ midfield injuries, it appears they were forced to widen their search further before landing on the Brazilian as a stop-gap.
"Signing players never makes sense if they are not the right ones. Never. It never makes sense. Why would you do that?” Klopp said on Tuesday. "It's difficult, it's really difficult because, for sure there are a few players out there which would be the right ones but they have different issues.
“Some of them are contracted, clubs don't want to sell, all these kind of things. That's how it is, we cannot force it. Yes, bringing in the right players is important. But if we can't do it now then we can't do it."
Klopp would have already signed the ‘right’ midfielder earlier this summer if he had had his way. Instead, he was left frustrated as Aurelien Tchouameni only had eyes for Real Madrid, while Borussia Dortmund repeatedly resisted any notion of cashing in on Jude Bellingham at this stage.
As a result, while Arthur might not have been a desired target earlier this year, the Reds have pushed ahead with a deal for the former Barcelona man on loan to bolster their ranks.
The swoop admittedly makes sense for both player and club on paper. Having played just twice for Brazil since 2019, the 26-year-old, who had previously reportedly been set for a move to Sporting Lisbon, will be hopeful of kick-starting his fortunes at Anfield ahead of the 2022 World Cup this winter.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, without parting with a considerable transfer fee, are able to react to their injury problems by strengthening their midfield quota with a player at peak age who boasts plenty of Champions League experience, having played for two European heavyweights in Barcelona and Juventus, as well as a player current Reds Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, along with goalkeeping coach Claudio Taffarel, all know well via the Brazil national team.
Whether Arthur is a success at Anfield, only time will tell. At the very least, the Reds can only hope the Brazil international makes more of an impact than Caulker and Kabak.
But perhaps more interestingly, the reported lack of an option to sign Arthur permanently shows Liverpool’s eyes lie elsewhere when it comes to signing the ‘right’ midfielder. By embracing this rare short-term fix, a successful pursuit of a more desired target could lie around the corner.
When Caulker was signed on loan in January, his arrival was followed up by Liverpool agreeing a pre-contract agreement with Joel Matip the following month, with the Cameroonian joining on a Bosman transfer at the end of the season. Meanwhile, while the Reds did have an option to sign Kabak permanently, they ultimately decided to look elsewhere and opted for Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig instead in a £36m deal when it came to landing a new centre-back permanently..
It might not be common for the Reds to sign a player on loan or opt for a short-term fix, but at least on both previous occasions it led to them signing the ‘right’ long-term option soon after. Considering Liverpool’s ongoing interest in the currently unavailable Bellingham, supporters will be hoping that Klopp’s latest signing leads to history belatedly repeating itself.
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