Arthur Melo may now be ‘the best player’ in the whole of Serie A with the Fiorentina loanee finding form again after that disastrous spell at Premier League giants Liverpool.
Talk about bouncing back. Class is permanent, as they say.
Arthur Melo played a grand total of 13 minutes of football in Liverpool colours during the 2022/23 season, another long-term injury not only ruining his chance of making a success of his stay on Merseyside but also casting his entire career into doubt.
But, after putting those fitness problems behind him in Florence, Arthur is certainly making up for lost time. According to the Brazil international’s agent, the experienced Federico Pastorello, even the prolific Lautaro Martinez and the rejuvenated Dusan Vlahovic are struggling to keep up with Arthur in his current form.
Liverpool flop now shining in Serie A
“I am very happy for Arthur. 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,” Pastorello tells Radio Serie A.
“Fiorentina were good at seeing the opportunity. And, today, Arthur is perhaps the best player in the league.”
Fiorentina have a £17 million option-to-buy clause in Arthur’s contract. Pastorello is not ruling out the a player once hailed to the hilt by ex-Barca team-mate Lionel Messi leaving Juventus for an even bigger sum, though any club considering taking a punt on Arthur would obviously have reservations about an injury record which would make even Anthony Martial wince.
Back in form at Fiorentina
“20 million euros? 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,” Pastorello adds.
“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.”
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