Liverpool signed Jurgen Klopp's perfect midfielder but it could have been very different

Pep Lijnders affectionately calls him Liverpool's 'lighthouse', such is his ability to pivot his head and know exactly where every player on the pitch is, but Fabinho was not the only candidate for the number six role at Anfield when Liverpool devised their shortlist.

With some signings, there is an element of luck about how they come about, along with, of course, hours of meticulous scouting, planning, and scouring of data.

When Liverpool signed Fabinho, that certainly was the case.

Mahmoud Dahoud and Jorginho were both players that Liverpool discussed extensively behind the scenes in the years leading up to the Brazilian's arrival from Ligue 1.

Chelsea won the race for Jorginho with Manchester City also amongst the teams who were keen, with the Italian wanting to link up with Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge, a manager he knew well from his time at Napoli, though that did not last long.

Liverpool, too, had long been linked with the deep-lying playmaker.

Dahoud, meanwhile, made the switch to Borussia Dortmund, where he has failed to ignite, in 2017, the summer after Liverpool were heavily linked with him.

The man that Borussia Monchengladbach replaced him with, Denis Zakaria, has been linked with a move to Liverpool of late - perhaps proving the statistical analysis amongst scouts at both Gladbach and the Reds remains consistent.

On the Analysing Anfield podcast, Josh Williams and David Hughes discussed the factors that made Jorginho and Dahoud previous targets, and how Fabinho represents a blend - and an improvement - on the pair: the ideal man for Klopp's system.

Williams began: "Klopp had identified a number six who could pass the ball and would not get pressed.

"Liverpool eventually signed Fabinho, but these two players being linked was interesting.

"Neither of them have Fabinho’s physicality or his height.

"Jorginho is a bit like a coach on the pitch at times in the way that he is directing players and he is quite tactical, but he can be bullied.

"He is not quick at all and he is not tall - he is a bit idealistic and very nice."

The Brazilian-born Italian international is now Chelsea’s vice-captain under Frank Lampard, and certainly has his qualities.

But Fabinho offers more in the role in terms of being able to break up the play.

Hughes added: "Jorginho is good on the ball but for me, he lacks a little bit of defensive robustness.

"But I noticed he had a better defensive duels success rate than Fabinho this year.

"For me, that is the data lying a little bit - just from watching the game, I think Jorginho is a lot more susceptible to being targeted than Fabinho is.

"I wonder if his numbers aren’t as good because he is often defending in transition when it’s harder.

"Jorginho needs the team building around him, whereas Fabinho can just be put into that number six role and thrive without any kind of adjustments needed."

Neither Jorginho nor Dahoud are as physical or strong in the tackle as Fabinho is, but the Brazilian has the same abilities on the ball as both of the pair.

There is also an argument to say Jorginho and Dahoud would have to be played in a pair under Klopp such is the weight of responsibility the role demands, as Jordan Henderson has at times found out, whereas Fabinho can do the job perfectly on his own.

Either way, it is safe to say that Liverpool got the right man for the job in the end.