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Liverpool quietly signed £39m midfielder in response to Champions League disappointment
Saturday, May 26, 2018, is a date that will live long in the memory of Liverpool supporters.
The date on which they returned to the top table of club football, and although they did not come out on top against Real Madrid at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, the game felt like a turning point in the recent history of the Anfield club.
Since then, the Reds have gone on to get their hands on both the European Cup and Premier League title, and last year came close to claiming an unprecedented quadruple. Kyiv was the start of something special.
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Such was the emotion and buzz around the game that even as supporters headed home, they did so with their spirits high and with a feeling that this was just the start and that brighter days certainly lay ahead.
But as fans headed home a little over 24 hours after the game had concluded, they were left stunned by what came next. The Reds had pulled off a surprising swoop.
Having already secured the services of Naby Keita for the forthcoming campaign the previous summer, Jurgen Klopp further strengthened his midfield with the acquisition of Fabinho from AS Monaco.
There was barely even enough time to jump on YouTube and feast on Fabinho compilations, write articles, or record podcasts about what kind of player he was and how he’d fit in before he was officially unveiled as a Liverpool player.
Paying an initial £39.3million for the Brazilian, the deal also included a further £4m (5m euros) in performance-related bonus payments. Fabinho spent five years with the Ligue 1 side, winning the French title and reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2017.
The now-29-year-old had earned himself a reputation as a no-nonsense defensive midfielder, having begun as a right-back. His arrival at Anfield also signalled the end of Emre Can’s Liverpool career. He would later join Juventus on a free transfer.
It was a deal that took everyone by surprise, except for those involved directly, because Liverpool, with sporting director Michael Edwards leading negotiations, had quietly and aggressively been pursuing the Brazilian since February.
According to a report by the Independent back in 2018, the Brazilian had been a man in demand. They claim that as well as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United, Paris St-Germain, Juventus, Internazionale and Atletico Madrid were all keen to sign the midfielder.
“I spoke on the phone with [Roberto] Firmino,” Fabinho said after he put pen to paper on his Liverpool contract. “I know him personally… I was able to speak with the manager and other people who work at the club. They gave me a lot of confidence.
“I wanted to go to a club that really wanted me, which showed great interest. With all that, it was easy to say yes. I thought a little and told my agent that he could continue the transaction. I am very happy that it is done from the beginning of the transfer window.”
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the signing, Klopp said: “We have signed a fantastic player, but someone who is an equally fantastic person, I think.
“His reputation as a character in the dressing room and his attitude in training have come through from everyone we speak to.
“He has a lovely family also; adding a person like this to our dressing room only makes us even stronger. What we have, in terms of our environment at Melwood and in the team, means anyone coming in must be of that build. They must be the highest-quality person and player.
“This signing gives us new opportunities, and for that, I am excited. I’m sure our supporters will make him very welcome and at home at our wonderful club and in our amazing city.”
Fabinho’s arrival on Merseyside was sandwiched in between the signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker. The trio, within the space of seven months, radically transformed Liverpool’s spine.
Since then, all three have played key roles in Liverpool winning the Champions League, the season after the Reds’ suffered heartbreak at the hands of Real. Then, a year after getting their hands on the European Cup, Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a league title.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have simply never looked back since that weekend in May 2018. It was one that transformed the fortunes of the Anfield club.
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