‘People I was speaking to’: What Paul Gorst was told about Liverpool’s interest in absolutely elite passer

Paul Gorst suggested it’s unlikely that Liverpool will reignite their prior interest in Fluminense’s Andre Trindade this January.

The Merseysiders had appeared intrigued by the possibility in the summer window, with many linking the Brazilian with the No.6 role at Anfield.

“Everything pointing towards Andre is that interest has cooled, shall we say, people I was speaking to around that,” the Liverpool Echo reporter told Josh Sexton in The Anfield Wrap’s Transfer Talks show.

“Liverpool sounded out Fluminense at the beginning of August and basically got told ‘can’t have him because we’re trying to win the Copa Libertadores’. 

Gorst went on to add: “For me, anything around it suggested he was going to be Thiago’s replacement; a kind of progressive ball-player in the middle, that sort of option when you need that player.

“I’m a little bit less optimistic on those links as certainly in the summer when the interest was most definitely there.”

As things currently stand – though the Reds have historically pounced if they feel an elite signing is slipping away from them – it seems unlikely that Jurgen Klopp’s men will enter the market for another No.6.

READ MORE: What Mbappe has said about Liverpool as Anfield transfer links resurface

READ MORE: Paul Gorst shares what ‘people at the club’ are saying about Liverpool’s interest in 22-y/o holding midfielder

A potential Thiago replacement?

The Echo journalist is spot-on in his suggestion that Andre would be a more suitable replacement for Thiago Alcantara.

The  22-year-old possessed some remarkable progressive capabilities, with FBref ranking him in the 86th percentile for successful take-ons and 99th percentile for passes attempted and completed.

There’s further evidence to suggest he’s comfortable carrying the ball, ranking in the 75th percentile for progressive carries.

Defensively, there are some reasonable numbers put out by the Brazilian international, though perhaps not enough to mark him out as an improvement on either one of Alexis Mac Allister or Wataru Endo in the No.6 role.

Could he be a potentially fitting Thiago replacement? Perhaps. Though this doesn’t seem an area we’ll prioritise over the coming weeks.

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