Liverpool have swapped clarity for confusion in the transfer market | Andy Hunter

Caicedo and Lavia sagas show Liverpool’s once-slick operation has become beset by instability and muddled-thinking

The wounds of a Champions League final defeat in Kyiv were still raw for Liverpool, physically and emotionally, when they last spent big on a coveted, specialist defensive midfielder. The contrast between the arrival of Fabinho in 2018 and events since his departure is a clear illustration of a transfer operation swapping clarity for confusion.

News of Fabinho’s move from Monaco emerged within 24 hours of the 3-1 loss to Real Madrid. Mohamed Salah was still receiving treatment on a shoulder injury, and Jürgen Klopp had not even considered the possibility of Loris Karius suffering concussion, when the €45m transfer was finalised three days after a season of staggering progress had come to a shattering end. There were no rumours of a Liverpool move for the Brazilian and no drawn-out negotiations for a player who had attracted widespread interest. The sporting director Michael Edwards got the job done while leaving Klopp to focus on preparations for European football’s biggest night. Defeat in Kyiv would not derail Liverpool, as Fabinho’s arrival showed.