According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have been left surprised by how prone Arthur is to injuries.
Liverpool surprised by Arthur
Well, the Reds signed the Brazil international on loan for the 2022/23 campaign to ensure Jürgen Klopp had more options in midfield, as the likes of Thiago, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain often pick up injuries.
However, Arthur himself is now injured, and requires surgery to fix a muscle problem which is set to keep him out for between three to four months.
Now, Romano has claimed that Liverpool are surprised by the South American.
Speaking on YouTube, the reliable Italian journalist said: “The buy option for Arthur will not be triggered by Liverpool. It’s a loan with a buy option, not mandatory in this case. The buy option is around £37.5m. But the main problem with Arthur is the injuries. He’s been having too many injuries.
“In this case, it’s something that is surprising to Liverpool as they signed him on deadline day because they had many injuries in midfield.”
You can understand why Liverpool will not be triggering their option to buy Arthur.
The 26-year-old has already struggled to make his mark at Barcelona and Juventus, so there is little to suggest that he would have an impact at Anfield even if he did manage to avoid his injury.
Arthur deal is a nightmare for Liverpool
The Reds do not often resort to panic signings, although Liverpool clearly felt they had no other option as the seconds ticked away ahead of the September 1st deadline.
However, the gamble has certainly not paid off.
According to The Athletic, Liverpool paid a £4m loan fee to sign Arthur from Juventus, and are presumably paying a large chunk, if not all, of his £125,000-a-week wages at Anfield.
That equates to £500,000-a-month for the Brazilian, so from now until July, when his loan officially ends, Liverpool will find themselves paying £5m in wages.
Add that to what they have already spent on his salary since deadline day, and Liverpool could be looking at a £10m investment for a player only available for half of the campaign, which is very poor business.
Julian Ward has plenty to live up to after the departure of Michael Edwards, but he surely won’t be pleased with himself after the signing of Arthur.
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