Aston Villa
Premier League • England
Unai Emery interest in Liverpool flop ‘concrete’ as Aston Villa seek loan move for experienced midfielder
A report in Italy claims Aston Villa are hoping to secure a loan deal for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo despite his woeful spell at Liverpool.
The 26-year-old was a late summer window recruit for the Reds. They paid €4.5m in loan fees, with an option to purchase outright for €37.5m. However, things did not go to plan for the Brazil international.
After playing 13 minutes of Liverpool’s 4-1 Champions League loss to Napoli in September, he was never seen again.
A thigh muscle injury required surgery in October and he was out of action until March this year.
However, even after returning to fitness Jurgen Klopp opted not to use him.
He failed to make a Premier League appearance and has now headed back to Turin. But Juve are said to be keen to get him off their books once again.
That has left the South American searching for a club. And it appears as though he may make a swift return to England.
It has recently been reported that Newcastle United are interested in the schemer.
But Villa’s name has also been mentioned, with Unai Emery looking for a loan deal.
And now Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Giovanni Albanese has backed up claims that the West Midlanders are suitors.
“Arthur? Aston Villa are becoming more and more concrete,” he told Sport Italia’s Mercato show.
“It’s difficult to see him on a permanent basis because he still weighs heavily on the balance sheet.”
Villa to give Arthur shot at redemption
Aston Villa enjoyed an incredible resurgent after Emery arrived last season.
Steven Gerrard was jettisoned on October 21 with the Villa Park outfit languishing near the foot of the standings.
But they ended up seventh, securing a spot in the Europa Conference League.
Ten wins and three draws from their final 15 games was enough to qualify for Europe.
The challenge now is to build on that success and the need for fresh faces has increased with a return to European competition.
With that in mind, it seems as though Arthur is a target. Despite last season’s disappointment, the man with 22 Brazil caps does have a decent pedigree.
He played 72 times for Barcelona in all competitions and has enjoyed 63 outings for The Old Lady.
Emery is clearly looking past his 2022-23 campaign and sees him as player who could add quality to his midfield.
Never really a goalscorer, Arthur is versatile across the middle of the park. He can pay as a holding midfielder or operate as a more box-to-box player.
One area of concern may well be his fitness after the leg problem. However, it appears as though that is now a thing of the past.
Villa do not want to take him on a permanent basis and it remains to be seen if Juve will sanction another loan deal.