Jordan Henderson and Fabinho shook their heads at the offer from Saudi Arabia, and they left for the Middle East, an unexpected turn of events from Liverpool’s perspective. The challenge that remained was to find a defensive midfielder who could succeed them.
For nearly a month, Liverpool maintained an interest in Romeo Lavia, a Belgian midfielder who had been playing for Southampton, but was never satisfied with the asking price.
Then, they suddenly changed targets and made a huge offer for the Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo, who was playing for Brighton at the time.
Brighton would not reject the highest price in Premier League history, and an agreement was quickly reached between the clubs. It was expected that he would proceed to Liverpool for a medical, but the player wanted to move to Chelsea, and as a result, he ended up playing at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool then offered more than Southampton’s asking price and returned to the Belgian midfielder, but it was already too late.
Chelsea also put together a deal for the 19-year-old midfielder, an anomaly that caused both players to miss out. From there, however, they moved quickly and acquired Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo.
The twists and turns that unfolded involved Liverpool, Chelsea, and Brighton. Manuel Sierra, the Ecuadorian midfielder’s agent, recalls those days and complained about the way his club handled the situation.
“Liverpool was always interested in Moi,”
“The truth is, we had meetings during those months from January to May. But after May, we never heard anything more.”
“The first thing we were told is, ‘Tomorrow, you have to go to Liverpool for a medical.'”
“Of course, what’s our reaction going to be if we haven’t negotiated, haven’t talked, haven’t seen anything at all?”
“We knew where things could happen because we were talking with them until May. In the end, our side and the player’s side were not a problem, but the problem was Brighton.”
“When they told us, ‘You can go to Liverpool tomorrow’. well, our reaction was, ‘Okay, but do you understand why?’ So, that was the comedy.”
“In other words, they told us to go for a medical examination with Liverpool without having an agreement, without giving the green light. Even Klopp wrote to Moises with Brighton’s permission and all, but Moises was clear all along, and we were clear all along that if Chelsea matched or offered the same conditions that Liverpool could with Brighton, as I said, they surpassed it. So, there were no complaints.”
“In the end, it’s very complicated,”
“Imagine that you’re being written to and called by Jurgen Klopp, that Liverpool is calling you.”
“We’re talking about something really big, one of the best teams in the world, just like Chelsea. Well, with a more established and stable project than what Chelsea has today, which is a very ambitious project looking ahead to two years.”
“So, when Liverpool comes and approaches you in that way, obviously Moises gets dizzy, I even get dizzy myself, and he says, “Man, we must be doing something right, you know.”
“But Chelsea was by our side all along, asking us, not for much time, they were asking for an hour, I mean, just an hour, so that Brighton could tell them the conditions to match the offer.”
“As I said, they were given an hour, which turned into two days of negotiation. Also, because they had the handicap that the first game of the season was Chelsea vs. Liverpool, it would have been a bit awkward to present it on the day they play against each other.”
“It’s like an unwritten agreement to not laugh in each other’s faces. So, in the end, after the game ended, they gave us the green light, he passed the medical examination, and on Monday, we were presenting him.”
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