Liverpool hijacking £40M midfield signing would solve defensive midfield crisis

Joao Palhinha could be the perfect midfield signing should Liverpool sell Fabinho to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ittihad as reported.

The Brazilian midfielder joined the club in 2018 for a fee of £43.7M and may now leave for around £40M if an agreement can be struck with the Saudi outfit.

Since joining the club, the 29-year-old has won every trophy available and if he departs, he will have legendary status despite his faltering form since the start of the 2022/23 season.

Who should replace Fabinho if he leaves Liverpool?

The decision to allow Fabinho to enter into discussion with Al-Ittihad is questionable given this summer transfer window is supposed to be about rebuilding the midfield.

Allowing the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to leave would undermine this objective. Especially given James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were allowed to run their contracts down and leave for free.

Arthur Melo also left after his one-year loan from parent club Juventus expired while Fabio Carvalho has been sent out on loan to RB Leipzig for the duration of the 2023/24 campaign.

While links to Romeo Lavia remain - he's reportedly the club's priority now - the current market offers very few decent options in the defensive midfield role.

That said, one of the Premier League's most impressive revelations last season was Fulham's Joao Palhinha, who helped Fulham finish 10th in the table in the first season back in the top flight.

With the Cottagers open to selling the Portuguese midfielder, should Liverpool attempt to hijack their move?

Why would signing Palhinha be such a smart move?

TalkSPORT report that West Ham are in talks with Fulham to sign Palhinha with the Hammers hoping to sign him for £40M. That's roughly what Liverpool are hoping to get for Fabinho.

Fulham signed the 28-year-old for just £20M last summer but could double their investment just a year later.

Liverpool, who would be selling their only natural defensive midfielder in Fabinho, must think carefully about how letting the Brazilian go will affect their transfer plans.

Jurgen Klopp will add at least one more midfielder to his ranks this summer regardless of whether or not Fabinho and Henderson leave.

According to Fbrefs data, Palhinha is one of the best defensive midfielders in the world.

When compared to all midfielders globally, he ranks in the 99th percential for tackles (4.26 per 90). He would be the perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp's front-footed midfield, ranking in the 99th pecentile again for number of tackles per 90 in the attacking third.

An incredibly aggressive player, Liverpool would be able to restore the intensity to their midfield that was sorely lacking last season.

Sporting Lisbon head coach, Ruben Amorim, rightly labelled Palhinha as a "special" player.

Speaking to Portuguese outlet Record, he said: “The credit belongs to Palhinha, that grew up that way. I often tell Palhinha that he is very good without the ball and with the ball. More than a tactical coach, I get it in Palhinha’s head that he is a special player.”

This praise came before his move to the Premier League but he has since blossomed further, establishing himself as one of the best in the game.