Jürgen Klopp is well-stocked for creative and technical midfielders right now, having invested in the services of both Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer. The two players possess elite potential and real quality on the field, but they are both accustomed to playing further forward.
With Liverpool allowing Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to move to Saudi Arabia earlier this month, Klopp has an obvious void in the deeper areas of his midfield. In fact, he was forced to start Mac Allister as his holding midfielder against Chelsea over the weekend, which captures his overwhelming need in the transfer market.
Klopp is in desperate need of at least one more withdrawn midfielder, who will drift under the radar rather than grab the headlines. Liverpool tried to make Roméo Lavia that man — making three bids for him — and then pursued Moisés Caicedo, but failed to land either of them.
Between now and the closure of the window at the end of the month, it remains to be seen how Klopp will navigate his glaring midfield void, with his players simply too attack-minded as a group at present. For context, in the first Premier League bout of the campaign against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, the Reds completed just 299 passes compared to the 630 posted by the Blues.
Liverpool needs more control on the field, and that can be established by simply keeping the ball. The conventional deep-lying midfielder is inclined to do exactly that, but Klopp doesn’t have any available on Merseyside right now, which is why a move for André Trindade could be worth exploring.
The Brazilian has been linked with the Reds in recent weeks, and the Mirror has suggested Klopp could now turn to him after missing out on Caicedo and Lavia, but he’s currently competing in the middle of the season in his homeland with Fluminense. In terms of what he offers on the pitch, he looks like a true controller in the making at the age of just 22, with the qualities to potentially succeed Thiago Alcântara rather than Fabinho on Merseyside.
The Spanish international has a contract that is due to expire in 12 months at Liverpool, with André appearing likely to be his long-term successor, and one who will hopefully get on the pitch more often considering he started 34 out of 38 league matches last season, playing over 3,000 minutes.
So far this term, no midfielder in Brazil is averaging more touches per 90 minutes than André. He’s playing as part of a dominant team — with Fluminense ranked top of the table for possession — and he’s the conductor for his teammates. He isn’t particularly elaborate on the ball, but that could be a good thing upon inspection of the offensive firepower that Klopp already has.
Nineteen matches have been played in the Brazilian top flight this season, with André averaging more attempted passes per 90 than any other midfielder in the division, and his completion rate of 93.3 per cent also ranks him at the summit. He’s been successful with 992 of his 1,063 passes.
A deal for him seems more likely to materialize in January — after his season ends in Brazil — but Liverpool needs reinforcements now, and fast. The Reds would be reluctant to overpay for his signature, but needs must, and the lofty bids for Caicedo and Lavia provide enough evidence to suggest that Klopp has the funds.
Overall, accelerating any potential move for André could make sense for Liverpool as the transfer window nears its closure.
