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Is André the January Answer to Liverpool’s Midfield Conundrum…?

André is a name that swirled around the Anfield gossip pages throughout the summer, as someone that the Liverpool recruitment team were apparently very keen on. A deal could not be struck in the preseason, essentially given his importance to his club side. The Fluminense central midfielder had been touted as the potential long-term successor to Thiago Alcantara, given the Brazilian’s technical ability and prowess on the ball. I get the sense that the reds’ interest remains the same and that a specialist defensive midfielder will be sought inclusive of that long-term target. The only issue is, however, that if the likes of Bruno Guimarães or Cheick Doucouré are indeed the men most wanted, then those first team ready additions may not be available until the summer of 2024. With that, it could leave a bigger problem in January, given that Wataru Endō is primed to head off to the Asia Cup in the new year, to participate in a tournament that could see the Japan captain absent for six weeks.

André Trindade

  • Age: 22-years old (DOB 16/07/2001)
  • Current Club: Fluminense
  • Playing Positions: CM / CDM
  • Height: 5ft 9inches
  • Weight: 77kg
  • Appearances: 156 games
  • Career Goals & Assists: 4 / 3
  • Total Minutes Played: 12,085
  • International Caps & Goals: 0 games / 0 goal
  • Contract Expiry: June 30 2026
  • Transfermarkt Value: €15m

Notable Achievements

  • Guanabara Cup: 2022, 2023
  • Campeonato Carioca: 2022, 2023
  • Best defensive midfielder in Brazil: 2022

What we do know is that despite Ryan Gravenberch being signed in the summer from Bayern Munich, the reds’ interest in the stand out player of Fluminense has not diminished. The continual inability for Klopp to call upon an injury-plagued Thiago is likely to be pushing the agenda of signing a new body, especially given the Spanish legend’s young countryman and teammate, Stefan Bajčetić, is also commonly unavailable this season. The perfect situation would be for the gifted 22-year-old, André, to be brought in alongside one other midfield piece. If the financial concerns surrounding either Cheick Doucouré and João Palhinha prove correct (for January), then a more suitable addition could be explored, one that would allow both he and Trindade to be brought to Anfield in January. Manu Koné is a versatile and very interesting player who can play as both the destroyer and the box-to-box engine. This type of deal would probably cost half of those targets from the Premier League, whilst being rumoured to be of interest. His pre-season injury scuppered any potential move to Merseyside, yet much like a deal for André, both those deals could be reignited after Christmas.

Above is an opinion and option for how the Fluminense star player could be used by the reds, which would move Alexis Mac Allister into his preferred and more advanced position. This would be an immediate upgrade, yet the need for a Koné type player (additionally), is still imperative to the next recruitment steps taken.

As the International games continue within this frustrating break in the season, hopefully it means an adequate and permanent Sporting Director can be unearthed in this quieter moment. Moves must be engineered ahead of time and if we are serious about short- and long-term success, then André Trindade needs to be a name that is more than someone we endlessly monitor.

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