Arthur Melo arrived at Merseyside for a £4 million loan fee to rejuvenate his struggling career. The technically gifted midfielder’s stint with Liverpool did not go according to plan and he will be returning to Turin.
While the Reds have yet to give their official verdict, Melo has made his decision. The Brazilian will return to the drawing board and sort out his next move. His time at Anfield has not borne the desired results, struggling for minutes on the pitch in an injury-marred Liverpool midfield.
Klopp’s punt to reinvigorate Melo
Melo was brought in by Jurgen Klopp to boss midfield proceedings but it did not go according to the plan. The Brazilian struggled to give an honest account of his abilities and was a misfit in the dressing room. He has only made four appearances across the length of the campaign, accruing a paltry 256 minutes in the process.
Sum up Arthur Melo's career at Liverpool in three words or less ? pic.twitter.com/Z6ZBmzXXFK
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) May 8, 2023
With his sights set on the future, Melo is looking to end his association with the Reds. The 26-year-old has not decided on his next plan of action but believes the work he has put away from the pitch will help him in his find his footing.
Despite not being afforded minutes on the pitch, the Germio youth academy graduate thanked the Reds hierarchy and only had words of praise for Klopp. He hailed the German tactician as one of the best in the world and believes training under his tutelage has upgraded his footballing skills.
“Next season I [will] see it with good eyes,” Arthur told Goal this week. “It will be decisive in my career and I am working very well. I’m looking forward to showing this new version of Arthur. Hopefully I have an option to say goodbye in Liverpool by playing something, to say goodbye to my team-mates, the technical committee and the fans, who have been very good to me.
“Since I arrived, [Jurgen] Klopp has treated me really well. It is an honour for me to work with Jurgen. He is one of the best coaches in the world, he has always spoken well of me, he is someone incredible and the treatment has always been really good, elegant and special.
“The fact of being able to train with someone like him always gives you a lot as a player and I’m sure it’s useful for what’s to come because you learn a lot from him. Now that I’m recovered, I would obviously like to be able to play more, but I can understand that the situation now is different from what happened when I arrived, because at that time the team had some needs and now it has others, but I have the peace of mind that when I talk to them and they tell me that no one has any complaints with me, quite the opposite. Also all of Liverpool in general, they have treated me great and I only have good words for them and a very special affection.”
The odd pairing of Melo and Liverpool
In the summer of 2022, Klopp was in need of a creative midfielder to boss possession and create scoring opportunities from the base of his midfield. Thiago Alcantara cannot be relied upon to play continuously
and there was a dire need for options.
While not the most fashionable choice and one that took back the Kop, Melo joined the Liverpool dressing room. In hindsight, it seems the Reds hand was forced to make a deal. Early season injuries to Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, did not leave a lot of options and Liverpool had to settle for Melo.
He will now return to Juventus and gauge the plans they have for him in store. The Turin giants have been ruing the ill-fated swap transfer that saw Miralem Pjanic move to Barcelona in exchange for his services. Juve have a bloated squad and finding space for him will be difficult.
He has two years to run on his deal with the Seire A giants. Given his abysmal minutes accumulation at Anfield, prospective clubs will be wary of him. However, Melo has age on his side and can return to Brazil to his roots and get some clarity.
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
