Players who could play at the bottom of midfield, such as Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, left unexpectedly. When Liverpool was forced to focus on acquiring a defensive midfielder, they continued to show interest in Romeo Lavia, a Belgian midfielder who was at Southampton at the time.
He was even said to be close to joining Liverpool, but suddenly changed his target to former Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, who was believed to be on the verge of a move to Chelsea.
The clubs had reached an agreement for the highest fee in British history, but the player decided to stay in London, kicking the chance to play at Anfield.
While the Ecuadorian midfielder’s agent and others have been explaining the background of the transfer, the player himself has opened up.
He revealed that Liverpool contacted him too late and explained the reasons for his decision himself, saying that Chelsea had been there for him in his time of distress.
“I chose Chelsea because I was talking with them first and then it was impossible not to choose them. They were with me, supporting me because in the summer I suffered a lot because it was complicated to leave Brighton,”
“They were with me. In the last moment, Liverpool called me but it was late. It was too late, you know? I wanted to play for Chelsea and the people that worked here were with me through every moment and it was tough to say no to Chelsea.”
“It’s Chelsea, you know. At Chelsea, you always have to win every game and if you don’t, you’ll feel the pressure. I’ve only been here for four months, everything is new for me and I think it’s about time. It’ll take time because I know my quality, I know my teammates and it’ll be our time.”
The new club has spent big money in each transfer market, but has yet to produce results and has not been able to achieve consistent results. Liverpool, on the other hand, was involved in the title race and its fate was split.
Liverpool missed out on Caicedo, and both Lavia and Chelsea were taken. Although they acquired Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo as a defensive midfielder, it cannot be denied that a new midfielder may be secured in the near future from a medium- to long-term perspective, as he is already 30 years old.
Will Liverpool be able to acquire the Ecuadorian midfielder for less?