Liverpool is currently searching Europe for a capable replacement for Fabinho this summer. Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk could have a transfer solution in mind.
Fabinho’s move to Saudi Arabia looks all but confirmed, with Jürgen Klopp leaving the Brazilian midfielder behind on Merseyside as he took his squad to Germany for an intense pre-season training camp. The 29-year-old seems ready to call time on his Anfield career, having suffered an apparent decline over the past 12 months.
The South American looks destined to represent Al-Ittihad next term (as per the ECHO), which means the Reds will have to search Europe and beyond for a new holding midfield presence. Fabinho has established himself as one of the best number sixes on the continent since his move to England in 2018, and his departure will leave a big hole in Liverpool’s engine room.
Several names have been linked with filling the void over the past week, including Ryan Gravenberch, Sofyan Amrabat and Kalvin Phillips to name but a few (as per The Athletic). It is difficult to determine exactly who Klopp will chase in the transfer market, but Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk could have a solution for their boss.
The two renowned Liverpool stars both represent the same national team. Gakpo and Van Dijk are both first-choice performers for the Netherlands, and another player who is called up on a regular basis is Teun Koopmeiners, who is currently contracted to Atalanta.
Now aged 25, the Dutch midfielder fits with Liverpool’s typical age criteria. He is old enough to deliver every three days for one of the world’s biggest clubs, while also being young enough to repay any investment in his services. Upon inspection of what Koopmeiners offers as a player, he could be an option for Klopp as he comes up with a shortlist of potential targets.
The Serie A midfielder has quite an expansive passing range attached to his game, and he’s also fairly physical. Koopmeiners stands around 1.83m tall, and he’s reasonably mobile across the ground despite his size, certainly more so than the outgoing Fabinho, who has never been the quickest.
While Koopmeiners isn’t quite as much of a true destroyer as Fabinho, he does have comparable qualities and crucially, he’s experienced enough to come in and perform for the Reds without hesitation, with Klopp in desperate need of a proven performer who won’t need much time behind the scenes to become a positive contributor.
It is also worth noting that Koopmeiners is a very available player who doesn’t tend to suffer from many fitness issues. Over his past three league campaigns, he’s featured in a minimum of 30 contests, and he hasn’t featured in fewer than 25 matches in a single league season since stepping up to senior football as a teenager around six years ago.
It is also worth noting that Koopmeiners is a very available player who doesn’t tend to suffer from many fitness issues. Over his past three league campaigns, he’s featured in a minimum of 30 contests, and he hasn’t featured in fewer than 25 matches in a single league season since stepping up to senior football as a teenager around six years ago.
