Fabrizio Romano says Liverpool’s strategy for January transfer window could depend on Arthur Melo’s fitness

Fabrizio Romano talks about Liverpool transfer strategy after Arthur Melo injury

Writing in his exclusive column for Caught Offside (Subscription Required) transfer guru Fabrizio Romano shed light on Liverpool’s transfer plans for the upcoming winter transfer window after the recent development about Arthur Melo and his long-term injury.

Arthur stands out of action for four months after it came to light that his training injury needs surgery. Liverpool once again find themselves in the position of not having enough depth in the midfield department.

Curtis Jones recently made his way back to team training from injury and he could provide the extra bench strength. The only problem is, the fixture against Arsenal this weekend could be too early for Klopp to use Curtis to test the waters.

Romano wrote in his column the following.

“We will see in November/December what happens with Liverpool’s transfer strategy. It also depends on recovery time for Arthur Melo, if he will be ready in January or not… there are many factors.”

“For sure, the strategy of waiting until the summer is a bit of a risk, but it’s also true that top players are not available in January in 90% of the cases.”

A stand-by till the January window awaits. In case Arthur does not return from a lay-off by then, Liverpool could dip into the transfer market again. These times are certainly frustrating for Liverpool as the player to provide the depth in case of injuries also stands injured.

But until the next transfer window, Liverpool have no other option but to stick to the players they have currently. Hopefully, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain return soon to provide something the Reds would have lacked otherwise.

In an important fixture such as Arsenal, it is crucial for Liverpool to have enough depth to compete against the in-form Gunners’ side. With not so much bench strength to offer, the gaffer could look to play a 4-4-2 formation wherein the requirements for a natural number 8 decrease.

A number of fixtures left to be played this month, including Manchester City and West Ham in the league, Liverpool would hope to get off to a positive start with a win against the Gunners.

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This is a time when the young blood in our team – Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho, and Curtis Jones – can really make their impression. As good as the trio are, it is just a shame that a team supposed to be challenging on all fronts is once again in a situation where their season is at risk of being jeopardised because of poor planning in the transfer windows.