Roy Hodgson has found a perfect Fabinho replacement as £40m Liverpool transfer nears
Cheick Doucoure is a promising option as Liverpool seek out an heir to their departing Brazilian
Ahead of Liverpool’s midfield rebuild taking its most dramatic twist so far this summer, it is important to remember that Jurgen Klopp has built his career upon crafting individuals into what could be, not what is there to begin with.
Fabinho’s term on Merseyside appears to be coming to an end after five years. Seven trophies – including the club’s first Premier League and sixth Champions League title – later, the Brazilian can only be thanked for his service and wished well on his way out of the club.
For the £40 million bid tabled by Al Ittihad, recouping a majority of the fee paid to AS Monaco in 2018, it seems a no-brainer. The only downside on the Reds’ end is where to go shopping with their additional funds.
In the way of ready-made midfielders on the market to come in and straight away take over Fabinho’s role as ‘the lighthouse’ of Jurgen Klopp’s team, this couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Declan Rice was on the move last week so the ship has sailed there, although the British record £105 million fee paid by Arsenal suggests he would never have been a viable option. That leaves only Moises Caicedo, who Chelsea are getting closer to after seeing a £70 million bid rejected on Tuesday.
Morocco’s World Cup star Sofyan Amrabat has been mentioned, though not without doubts, and leading on from there are a plethora of the footballing world’s finest prodigies lined up to be the successors to the likes of Fabinho, far from the finished article at this stage.
This is not cause to fret, though. Liverpool’s manager prides himself on his ability to take a fledgling player and turn them into a star, fully equipped to bring home title after title. Especially since his arrival in the Premier League, just look at the likes of Sadio Mane, Gini Wijnaldum and Andy Robertson.
The next in line for the German’s treatment could be another currently in the top-flight, Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure, who was reported to have caught the eye of Anfield chiefs following his £21 million arrival in England last summer.
Winning his club’s internal Player of the Season award – voted for by supporters – was no mean feat, making 34 Premier League appearances in a Palace team that went on to finish 11th.
Upon his return to the South London club during the 2022/23 season, former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson was seriously impressed by his midfielder’s impact. The 75-year-old has also previously pointed out his man has the ability to adapt to play in both a midfield two or three, something Liverpool’s players have tested earlier this year.
Speaking to the Eagles’ website in April, he said: “He is very good: a very nice person, a very good player – a very serious player.
“He is getting better. It’s his first season in the Premier League, and he is constantly coming to terms with different challenges thrown up each week by the different Premier League teams we meet.
“I am more than satisfied with him. He has got that quality that one is looking for from a central midfield player either in a two or a three.
“[Cheick’s] English is getting a lot better which is also useful, and he is a very popular member of the squad. The lad has got a lot going for him.”
So, at 23 the Malian is entering the age bracket that any upcoming prospect must prove their worth in order to secure a move to a club in the highest echelons. Therefore at this stage of his career, it is only a matter of profiling Doucoure to determine if he is the man to fill Fabinho’s shoes.
Using Fbref.com’s database, it is clear to see how Palace fans have fallen in love so quickly with the former Lens man.
A main facet of Fabinho’s style was hoovering up counter attacks before the opposition were able to become a threat. Last season he completed an average of 2.19 tackles and 1.25 blocks-per-90 minutes.
In response, the Mali international bettered both, averaging 2.50 tackles and 1.53 blocks-per-90.
Upon winning the ball, it was then Fabinho’s role to get his team-mates on front foot, and again Doucoure proves that there is at minimum the shell of a player there that could do this in the Liverpool team.
With an 83.2% pass completion across the campaign, he was responsible for 61 shot-creating actions and 21 direct take-ons against opponents. Fabinho bettered him only in one regard here, with his pass-mastery shining through with an 88.3% success rate. Otherwise, the Brazilian trailed with 55 shot-creating actions and attempted 15 take-ons.
Granted, 2022/23 may not have been the departing Liverpool midfielder’s most impactful of years, but if you’re looking for someone to come in and make a direct, positive impact on the way this Reds team transitions, Doucoure is hard to look beyond.
