Liverpool struck gold selling star who was “one of the best in the world”

Liverpool continue to fly high top of the Premier League table, despite Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Fulham at Anfield, which was, remarkably, just the fourth time in 23 matches since Arne Slot’s arrival that the Reds have failed to win in any competition.

This is truly remarkable given the aforementioned change of manager as well as Liverpool’s lack of outlay during the summer transfer market.

Federico Chiesa, who joined from Juventus for a fee of £12.5m, was the only senior addition to Slot’s squad.

The Italian has, to date, had a minimal impact since arriving on Merseyside however, making just three appearances totalling a miserly 78 minutes due to a persistent muscle injury, which was flagged as a potential issue when he arrived, with the winger himself admitting that injuries have “slowed down my career”.

Meantime, a reported £30m was spent to secure the services of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, but he was immediately loaned back to Valencia, set to arrive next summer, which sets up an interesting dynamic as the Georgian, as well as Alisson and Caoimhín Kelleher, all battle for the number one shirt.

Thus, in summary, Liverpool’s success so far has been built upon a bed-rock of Jürgen Klopp’s core players, and it may have been the sale of one of Klopp’s most trusted lieutenants that has proved to be the best piece of business the Reds have done in recent times.

Jürgen Klopp’s key players

Back in May, Klopp departed Liverpool as a true club legend, on par with Bob Paisley, Bill Shankly and Kenny Dalglish.

During nigh-on a decade on Merseyside, the German hoisted aloft a Community Shield, two EFL Cups, the UEFA Super Cup, a FIFA Club World Cup, an FA Cup, reached the Champions League Finals, winning one of them, and, most notably ended the Reds’ 30-year wait for a Premier League title, a draught that had defined the whole club’s identity for generations.

During this incredibly successful stint, Klopp certainly relied upon many tried and trusted figures, who will also go down as club icons.

Of course, Salah, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Van Dijk, Alisson and Gomez all remain, with the other seven players in the table above all having departed, one of which brought in an extremely high fee.

Fabinho’s post-Liverpool career

Back in July 2023, Fabinho was sold to Al-Ittihad for £40m, which more or less saw the Reds break even, despite the fact the Brazilian was now 30 years old, having spent five seasons at Anfield.

While on Merseyside, Klopp called him “one of the best in the world at number six”, hence why he was reluctant to sell.

During the summer of 2023 though, Saudi Pro League clubs spent over £750m, making the money difficult to turn down, although spending, attendances and general interest in the league have all plateaued in recent months, with the high-profile players who’d moved to the Middle East disappearing into obscurity.

For Fabinho specifically, when he arrived at Al-Ittihad, they were reigning champions, but finished fifth last season, with manager Nuno Espírito Santo replaced by Marcelo Gallardo, but he only lasted 33 matches before returning to River Plate.

Now led by Laurent Blanc, the Jeddah-based outfit are top of the table, following Friday’s 2-1 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

The Brazilian’s time in Saudi Arabia has been blighted by injury, making 45 appearances but missing 19 games since his debut, underlining that Liverpool really struck gold by cashing in on Fabinho when they did, replacing him with Ryan Gravenberch for a similar fee, who is nine years his junior.

The Dutchman has been widely praised for his performances this season, Dinesh Kumar describing him as “absolutely sensational” against Fulham on Sunday, also ranked as Liverpool’s joint-third best player by Sofascore, and Gravenberch may not be at Anfield had it not been for the well-timed sale of Fabinho.