Liverpool were confirmed as Premier League champions last night.
It’s very much a group effort but the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah are bound to get most of the credit for ending this 30-year wait for another top-flight English league title.
But Fabinho, in that number six role, certainly reminded Liverpool fans of his importance on Tuesday as Jurgen Klopp’s side thumped Crystal Palace 4-0 to inch closer to the crown.
The Brazilian midfielder put a so-so year to one side and replicated the sort of barnstorming performances that fans of the Anfield club had been cooing over for the past 12 months before his dip in form.
And what a big, big message it was to Director of Football Michael Edwards.
Because of Fabinho’s wayward form this calendar year, Liverpool have been repeatedly linked to apparent upgrades.
Back in March, Cadena Ser claimed that the Reds had made contact with Atletico Madrid over a summer move for Thomas Partey, while Spanish publication Sport reported that Edwards was in talks with Lille over bringing Boubakary Soumare to Merseyside.
Both players operate in a similar midfield role as Fabinho and if the interest is or was genuine, it would be the former Monaco powerhouse – a £39 million signing in 2018 – who’d suffer.
But performances like that on Tuesday could be interpreted as a statement to Edwards, even if speculation about signing a number six have eased in recent months.
Fabinho, who scored and set up a goal against the Eagles, isn’t one of Liverpool’s biggest names, but he is one of their biggest players and Edwards would be silly to try and sign an upgrade.
On his day, there aren’t many better than Fabinho.
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