Liverpool have to rethink transfer plans if Fabinho and Henderson leave

In the space of 24 hours Jurgen Klopp’s transfer battle plan for the remainder of the window was turned entirely on it’s head. After bringing in both Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboslai, things were looking rosy.

Depatures of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita had been catered for. Yet with the emergence of interest in both captain Jordan Henderson and midfield general Fabinho, Klopp and his Liverpool boardroom now face the real possibility of ripping up the script and going for a whole new tact of assault for what remains of the window.

Liverpool had no intentions, or even considerations, of selling both Henderson and Fabinho in the current window. Both experiened stars have been a huge part of the Klopp era which has delivered every piece of silverware on offer, and each have more than a year remaining on their respective contracts.

The issue with the rapidly emerging Saudi Arabia interest however has dealt Liverpool a real problem, in the form of value for money. Reports indicate that the Reds can recoup the entire £40m fee they paid for Fabinho four years ago, while discussions have opened to arrange a possible deal in the region of £20m-£30m for captain Henderson.

Liverpool, with its shrewd money-making policy and expert book-balancing operation, knows that such financial value for two ageing players will certainly not present itself again.

Yet now action must immediately be taken. Prior to the Saudi emergence at the Anfield door, Liverpool had been mulling over the signing of Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia, though had baulked at the £50m fee for the young sensation.

It is understood that the Reds felt a deal for Lavia could be done later in the window for a much more realistic fee, as the recently relegated Saints became more desperate to raise valuable funds.

This, for Liverpool, would have made perfect sense. There is no desperate need to bring in Lavia, given the likes of the new summer signings along with the emerging hopefuls in the form of Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic, plus the old guard of Henderson and Fabinho.

Lavia for all intents and purposes could have been picked up last minute and slowly integrated into the squad. Now, however, with Henderson and Fabinho facing shock exits, this has been thrown into disarray.

A glance across social media is enough to give a flavour of the extent in which many Liverpool fans are beginning to panic. A trending consensus appears to show that a large number of fans now not only feel Lavia should be bought with urgency, but must also be recruited along with a ready-made world class starter.

Klopp and his side have already missed out on the Declan Rice after the England international committed to Arsenal, and now a tussle with Chelsea and Manchester United for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo is expected.

Liverpool do of course have the luxury of a fall-back option of installing Trent Alexander-Arnold into midfield on a permanent basis, but with the injury prone record of Thiago and the inconsistencies of Jones and Elliott, it remains to be seen who else would be a guaranteed starter alongside him week in, week out.

For Liverpool fans, the only way to remedy the situation is to spend big. Losing the combination of Henderson, Milner and Fabinho in one summer will see the club lose a collective appearance tally of over 1000 matches in a red shirt, while the average age of the midfield would drop exponentially.

A new battle plan is most certainly needed at Anfield, and the primary weapon of choice will be the cheque book.