Jurgen Klopp has explained why Liverpool moved to sign Arthur on loan from Juventus on transfer deadline day and revealed why he is unlikely to be available to face Everton on Saturday.
The Brazilian arrives with several Liverpool midfielders currently sidelined, with captain Jordan Henderson the latest to address a problem during Wednesday’s win over Newcastle.
It was this injury that is believed to have forced Liverpool’s hand on deadline day, with the addition of Arthur adding much-needed cover in midfield.
Despite reports to the contrary, Arthur is not injured, but Klopp says he does not expect to be able to call up the Brazilian as he has yet to receive international clearance.
“First of all, very happy with this transfer,” he said.
“My information is that the international clearance will not be done until tomorrow. We all hope that it will be good for Naples [next Wednesday].”
The Liverpool manager then detailed why he feels Arthur was the right player to join the ranks of the Reds’ midfield.
Having missed out on their target for first-choice midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid earlier this summer, Liverpool were reluctant to pursue an alternative, with Klopp claiming they would only move for “the right player”.
However, the situation changed as injuries to the Liverpool midfielder began to pile up, and Klopp believes Arthur is the ideal solution.
“He’s a very good footballer, I think we all agree on that,” Klopp continued.
“He has already had a very exciting career and he is still very young. He is reaching the prime age for a footballer.
“He’s able to set pace, he’s a very good passer of the ball, he’s got speed on the ball, he’s confident on the ball and he can demand pace, which is quite important, very good in tight areas and all that sort of thing, so I like it very much.
“Why can you sell a player like this? Because it didn’t work 100 percent at Juventus, but I see it as a positive because the potential is definitely still there.
“Obviously we play differently at Juve and we all thought he could fit in quite well, so I’m happy for that.”
The deal is initially seen as a short-term solution, but the Reds have the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season, with a statement from Juventus revealing a buy-out option of 32 million pounds