Liverpool could soon add the second Colombian after Luis Diaz to Jurgen Klopp’s first team

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Luis Diaz may become the first Colombian to wear a Liverpool shirt in a competitive match, but he is not the first to sign for Liverpool.

That distinction goes back to 22-year-old Anderson Arroyo, who arrived at Anfield four years ago.

In the four years since, Arroyo has become a somewhat elusive figure. He still spends time on Merseyside or is involved with the club at any level, although he occasionally trained with the club during pre-season.

Instead, Arroyo has been given a loan path at Liverpool after spending temporary spells at five different clubs since 2018.

The vast majority of his loan spells were unproductive with Arroyo frustrated by his non-appearance with Gent in Belgium and FK Mlada Boleslav in the Czech Republic.

But this season things have turned for the better in terms of his fortune and that could give him a lifeline in his Liverpool career.

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In July last year, Arroyo was loaned to FC Mirandes in La Liga 2nd Division.

Here, Arroyo established himself as a regular member of the first team and demonstrated the form that first alerted Liverpool scouts to his quality all those years ago.

This season, Arroyo has played more than 2,000 minutes for the Spanish second-division team. He has been a constant feature of the club’s league campaign, playing in every league game for the club thus far, not only playing the full 90 minutes in three games.

Mostly used as a central defender, Arroyo has appeared as a midfielder and right-back as well. He’s capable of playing as a left-back too, and his versatility is an attractive trait that will undoubtedly attract attention again at Anfield as well.

Statistically, Arroyo has ranked astonishingly in the top ten defensive duels among the league’s U23 players. He is currently in sixth place with a 62.5 percent success rate of his defensive duels of 5.64 per 90 according to Wyscout. His aerial fencing success rate of 53.57 percent also ranks him among the top five under-23 center backs, which is rather friendly considering he’s only five feet 10 inches tall.

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Arroyo is not only a skilled player in one-on-one defensive battles, he is an excellent player in reading the game as well. He is adept at pushing the ball away from an opponent while turning, and will catch loose balls a lot thanks to his relative speed.

To highlight how good he is, for ball possession-adjusted interceptions, Arroyo ranked third as a center back among his age peers with an average of 6.75 PAdj interceptions per 90.

He’s comfortable in possession as well, which is why Mirandes used him both in attack and as a defense. One of his best attributes is his ability to move the ball forward in the attacking phases of the game. He averages 6.64 forward passes per 90, making him among the sixth best U-23 center back in the league.

Arroyo’s stats are impressive considering that his team, Mirandes, is currently six places off the bottom of the table.

At 22 years old, Arroyo’s career has suffered a number of setbacks, but the young woman is having encouraging success.

Given his usual playing time in a fairly reputable league, he now has more chances of getting a work permit at Liverpool during the summer. His future is likely far from the club, but given his versatility, there could be one chance for one last party to catch Jurgen Klopp’s attention.

An opportunity he would undoubtedly enjoy, considering that he admitted in the World Football Index in the past that he still dreams of playing for the club.

“The truth is my goal, my wish and my dream is to be able to make my debut for Liverpool,” he said.

“My future goal is to play for Liverpool and be able to promote myself in the first team. It’s what I’ve been longing for since I signed for the club, and I hope that dream comes true.”

Not to mention, he’ll also be able to reunite with his former teammate, Luis Diaz, for the first time in five years.

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