Don Hutchison says Liverpool’s decision to bring Arthur Melo on a season-long loan deal has been a ‘bad’ call by the Premier League club.
The 26-year-old made a late move during the summer transfer window when he secured the switch from Serie A strugglers Juventus.
At first, Jurgen Klopp was adamant that his team didn’t need another midfielder during the transfer market, then as a few games of the 2022/23 season ticked by, he realised how big of an issue he has in the middle of the park.
Given that they left it late, it wasn’t a case of an elite player arriving for big-money, but a short-term solution being added to the club’s ranks.
Well, fast forward to the present and Arthur Melo has had a nightmare time on Merseyside because he has only played 13 minutes of football because of injury.
The Brazil international is still on the sidelines, as Hutchison shared his thoughts on that call during the summer, as he told ESPN.
“I mean how bad of that was a decision (to bring Arthur),” said Hutchison. “They are missing Wijnaldum like you wouldn’t believe. He left a couple of years ago.”
LACK OF PRO-ACTIVE NATURE FROM LIVERPOOL
When it comes to the forward department, Liverpool have been pro-active and quick-thinking on their feet, as they proved with the Luis Diaz deal last January and now the Cody Gakpo move.
But when it comes to their calls on the midfield, they haven’t even been reactive, never mind pro-active.
Gini Wijnaldum left in 2021 on a free transfer, it was obvious he was leaving for nothing, yet a player of his ilk wasn’t brought in beforehand to cover for his exit.
Added to that, Liverpool’s midfield has lost that bite and aggression in recent seasons, yet once again, that hard-hitting midfielder(s) hasn’t been brought in.
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