OPINION
One of the standout positives towards the end of the season was the drastic improvement in Fabinho, who made the holding midfield position his own at Liverpool.
The Brazilian didn’t enjoy the best of starts to his career at Anfield after arriving from Monaco at the beginning of last season but finished the campaign as a hero after playing a pivotal part in their run to Champions League success.
Fabinho, 27, made 28 Premier League appearances and was a mainstay in the second half of the season, featuring heavily in 22 of the final 23 top-flight games.
It came as a slight surprise that the Reds had been linked with a move for young Besiktas midfielder Dorukhan Tokoz in the past week, given the importance of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool were reported to be interested in making a £13.3million move for Tokoz by BeIN Sports reporter Gurgler Akgun.
It is vital that any midfield player who is to join Liverpool is comfortable on the ball in tight spaces and has the ability to find a pass quickly. Klopp demands a fast-paced forward-thinking style and Fabinho averages a much higher successful pass average (85.3%) than the Turk (76.9%). [WhoScored]
The Brazilian international also demands the ball much more than Tokoz, making 57.5 passes on average each game, nearly double the amount of the Besiktas man (29.1). [WhoScored]
Despite Tokoz having impressive defensive attributes that could fit into Klopp’s side – such as making 2.8 tackles per game which is more than anyone in the Liverpool squad, the 23-year-old must improve his game on the ball if he was to ever secure a move to Anfield.
Reports on Tuesday suggested that the Reds have decided to not make an approach for the midfield enforcer, with Klopp right to stall this deal at this moment in time.
