Arthur Melo and Liverpool fans alike would no doubt like to forget about his spell on loan at Anfield. The Brazilian has gone down as one of the worst signings ever made by the Reds after a disastrous stint.
Liverpool signed the former Barcelona star on a year-long deal to cover for a midfield department that was struggling with injury and form last season. Arthur though failed to make any impact, playing a grand total of 13 minutes for the Reds, all during one game in the Champions League.
He spent much of the campaign out injured, and even when he returned to fitness towards the end of the season, Jürgen Klopp opted not to include him in his side. Arthur therefore returned to Juventus having failed to make a single Premier League appearance.
The 27-year-old has since made the move to Fiorentina on another loan, and looks to be putting his poor spell at Anfield firmly behind him. He has made 29 appearances so far for the Serie A side, starting 23 of those.
And Arthur’s agent, Federico Pastorello, has even suggested his current form has turned him into the ‘best player in the league’. “I am very happy for Arthur,” Pastorello told Radio Serie A.
“Last year was a difficult season for him from all points of view. He landed at Liverpool at the end of the transfer window, thus missing training, then he suffered a serious injury. Fiorentina were good at seeing the opportunity. And, today, Arthur is perhaps the best player in the league.”
According to HITC, Fiorentina has a $22m (£17m/€20m) option to make Arthur’s stay permanent. Pastorello though feels his client could make Juventus even more money.
“€20m?” he questioned. “I would say (he could leave Juventus) for even more. (The clause) was put in because it was right to do so, then there is also the issue of salary because it doesn’t fall within the parameters of La Viola. But we are only halfway through the adventure.
“We are focused on continuing like this, then at the end of the season we will draw conclusions. I can only say one thing. Arthur feels great in Florence, even off the pitch the fans welcomed him in an extraordinary way. And this, as a former Juventus player, was not at all obvious.”
