Arsenal manager Unai Emery has confirmed the gunners tried to sign Fabinho before he eventually joined Liverpool.
Fabinho completed a £53m transfer move to Anfield from Monaco in the summer window of 2018 and endured a slow start to life on Merseyside.
His form picked up in the second half of last campaign and he played an important role in Liverpool’s Champions League success.
Fabinho is now one of Klopp’s first picks and Emery believes Arsenal’s new signings Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos could also enjoy a similar turnaround.
Ahead of his side’s game with Vitoria in the Europa League, Emery said: “I love Fabinho. His name was on the table, but he signed for Liverpool.
“The first six months he didn’t play, he was adapting – but now he is amazing. I want the same patience with Dani Ceballos, with Nicolas Pepe.”
Meanwhile, Emery had admitted he understands the frustration of Arsenal fans as he bids to address their poor away form.
“In my career it’s normal to have difficult moments and criticism for our work and my job,” he said.
“We are in one point of view. The supporters’ opinion, we need to accept that.
“We need to think how we can… progress and achieve our targets. Immediately, that’s to win tomorrow. In this competition we won two matches and played very well with very good results.”
