Why Liverpool should prioritise a new deal for Fabinho
According to ESPN, Liverpool are planning to open talks with Fabinho over a new contract after the Brazilian’s fine start to the 2020-21 campaign. The midfielder still has just under three years left to run on the five-year deal that he signed while joining the Reds from AS Monaco in the summer of 2018, but Liverpool are keen to tie him down to fresh and improved terms.
Profile
Fabinho completed his development at Fluminense in Brazil before moving to Europe with Portuguese club Rio Ave. He spent time on loan at Real Madrid, where he largely featured for the reserves and made just one first-team appearance in the La Liga.
The Brazilian enforcer eventually shot to prominence at AS Monaco in France, spending two seasons on loan before joining the club permanently in the summer of 2015. Fabinho went on to guide Monaco to the Ligue 1 crown in 2016-17 and was one of the cornerstones of the club’s march to the semi-final of the Champions League that season.
Fabinho went on to accumulate an impressive tally of 31 goals and 21 assists in 233 appearances for Monaco in all competitions. The midfielder’s burgeoning reputation in France prompted Liverpool to fork out a staggering £43.7million to secure his services in 2018.
He has since evolved into one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe under the charismatic stewardship of Jurgen Klopp. Fabinho has been instrumental in Liverpool’s recent success, both in England and Europe, guiding the Reds to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and the Premier League crown.
The 27-year-old has made a total of 89 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool, registering 3 goals and 7 assists in the process. He has also represented Brazil at the senior level, amassing 9 caps for the Selecao.
Fabinho remains an invaluable asset to Liverpool
Liverpool have managed to pull off some audacious raids in the transfer market over the past two years, helping Jurgen Klopp build a strong core of world-class professionals in his first-team. That has, indeed, contributed greatly to the club’s raging success on multiple fronts and Fabinho has been at the centre of it all.
While the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker have been widely acclaimed as some of Liverpool’s best buys in the market in recent times, Fabinho’s contribution has often gone under the radar. Realistically though, the Brazilian has been equally influential in whatever the Reds have achieved, proving his mettle as the heartbeat of the club’s midfield, week in week out.
Suffice to say, the former Monaco star has evolved into a world-class asset since his move to Anfield a couple of years ago. His goal contribution has somewhat decreased in recent campaigns but that is largely down to his more defensive-minded role in Klopp’s three-man midfield.
Fabinho has also underlined his worth to the club with some top-quality displays in an unfamiliar centre-back role. The Brazilian ace looked every inch a natural defender as Liverpool managed a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Chelsea in September. He followed it up with yet another commanding display at the heart of the defence in the club’s most-recent 1-0 triumph over Ajax in the Champions League.
Source: Getty Images
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Verdict
To put things into perspective, Fabinho should be among the first names on the club’s agenda if the Reds are planning a contract renewal drive in the coming months. Liverpool have tied most of their first-team stars down to long-term deals, and adding the Brazilian to that list would represent a just reward for his impressive progress.
Fabinho’s current contract would see him play at Anfield upto the age of 29, meaning a new deal would see him commit the remainder of his peak years to the Reds. That would definitely make sense for Liverpool as they need to keep hold of their key players in order to build on their first domestic title triumph in 30 years.
