£20m star shows Liverpool why he was their perfect Fabinho successor

£20m star shows Liverpool why he was their perfect Fabinho successor Throughout the summer, Liverpool were linked with a whole host of players. Almost every position among their first-team squad could've done with an upgrade over the summer but, since they spent over £450 million during the 2025-26 campaign, they weren't left with all that much money to make significant changes. Indeed, Bradley Barcola was still brought in for well over £100 million but, since Mohamed Salah exited, signing a marquee attacker was a must-need. And, even though their attack and defence got significantly upgraded, their midfield was left once again. This came as a bit of a shock as, last term, players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch massively underperformed. Lamine Camara, Adam Wharton and Manu Kone are just some of the central-midfielders that were linked with an Anfield switch. However, there is one who seems to have got away that Liverpool may end up regretting. Liverpool should have thrown everything at signing Chema Andres Since Gravenberch and Mac Allister failed to meet expectations last season, fans were demanding that a new number six was signed. A lot of the players linked with a Liverpool move over the summer were central midfielders and, even though their attack was probably more in need of some fresh faces, Andoni Iraola and Richard Hughes should have at least considered adding a new midfielder to their ranks. And, while it probably was discussed, the fact that the Reds have now missed out on Chema Andres is a big issue. The Spaniard was one of Stuttgart's best players last term so, the fact that the Seagulls only spent around £20 million to bring him in is mind-boggling. Andres is only 21 years old but his underlying stats were magnificent. And, during Brighton's 3-0 win against Arsenal on Saturday, the midfielder proved why Liverpool should have tried harder to sign him . There were some rumours being shared about him potentially joining Liverpool but, in the end, Brighton were the ones blessed with the deal. Chema Andres was one of Brighton's best performers vs Arsenal The fact that Brighton even managed to win Arsenal 3-0 is crazy. Mikel Arteta's men are the defending Premier League champions with most people expecting them to retain their title this time around. And, with all the signings that they made over the summer, they arguably have one of the strongest teams in England. But, of all their new signings, nobody could've expected the impact that Andre had against the Gunners. As per Sofascore , in the 85 minutes of football that the Spaniard played, he had 43 touches of the ball, maintained a pass accuracy of 79 per cent and managed to bag Brighton's opener. Defensively, the midfielder was also extremely solid as he won all five of the aerial duels he attempted and he also made seven recoveries. Obviously, with Liverpool's homegrown problems, they would've had to move someone on to bring Andres in. But, if these are the sort of performances he's putting in already, it's clear that he has a bright future ahead of him. So, this could certainly end up being a deal that Liverpool regret missing out on.