Liverpool midfielder Arthur Melo was a ‘panic buy’ by Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested to GIVEMESPORT.
The 26-year-old was brought in on loan from Juventus for the 2022/23 campaign with an option to make the deal permanent for a fee of £32 million at the end of this term.
Liverpool latest news – Arthur Melo
As per Football Insider, Liverpool have told Melo that they will not be taking up the chance to sign him on a permanent basis in the summer transfer window.
Brazil international Melo will now head back to his parent club Juventus in the off-season, though he is expected to seek a move elsewhere as he is ‘surplus to requirements’ at the Serie A giants moving forward.
The former Barcelona man has managed to make just one senior appearance for the Reds this season in a defeat to Napoli in the Champions League; however, he has also featured in the Premier League 2 and EFL Trophy for Liverpool’s Under-21 side.
Injury has kept the midfielder out of contention for most of the campaign and he had to undergo surgery after he tore a thigh muscle last October.
What has Dean Jones said about Arthur Melo?
Transfer insider Jones thinks that Melo was an unnecessary signing for Liverpool to make last summer and isn’t surprised that his time at Liverpool hasn’t worked out the way many hoped.
Jones told GMS: “I think they probably have to concede that it was a panic buy now; they got quite a fair bit of stick for that signing at the time. It was a bit of a strange one, one they rushed into and it underlines the philosophy that they usually take over signings and why they don’t do this.”
Was Arthur Melo a panic buy signing by Liverpool?
In all honesty, it is hard to argue against the idea that Liverpool brought Melo to the club in a rushed fashion, something that, in the end, hasn’t served to benefit them at all over the course of this season.
The 26-year-old was signed on deadline day and the Reds shelled out a £3.9 million loan fee to secure his services, which has essentially vanished into thin air given that he has been on the treatment table for most of 2022/23.
Patching up Liverpool’s ageing midfield has been a priority for Klopp in recent times, according to The Daily Mail; however, bringing Melo to Merseyside has been a failed venture that will surely see both parties shake hands and move on in the summer.
