Though most of the Liverpool squad are either on holiday or even back on international duty, one player is ready for the biggest games of his season.
It is almost two weeks since the Reds’ final game of the campaign – that wild 4-4 draw at Southampton – and their transfer business is already underway.
While Alexis Mac Allister came through the door on Thursday, though, most of his new team-mates were enjoying a post-season break, while others reported to their national teams.
The Champions League final is up on Saturday night – but there is one Liverpool player whose club commitments stretch even further beyond that.
A day after Man City and Inter Milan meet in Istanbul, the Mendizorroza stadium will host the first leg of a playoff final between Alaves and Levante.
The two-legged tie will decide which of those Segunda Division sides will join Granada and Las Palmas in promotion to LaLiga for next season.
ESTO ES MENDIZORROTZA.
ESTE ES EL DEPORTIVO ALAVÉS.#AlavésEibar #EsteEsElCamimo ??? pic.twitter.com/yG3DhmMCma— Deportivo Alavés (@Alaves) June 8, 2023
Part of the Alaves squad which finished fourth in the Spanish second tier and overcame Eibar in the semi-finals is Liverpool defender Anderson Arroyo.
Arroyo – who is yet to make an appearance for Liverpool and, in truth, is now unlikely to – is taking in the sixth loan of his time on the books this season.
The Colombian joined the Reds from boyhood club Fortaleza CEIF in 2018, but work permit issues have denied him a chance of settling at Anfield.
There have been brief opportunities to train in pre-season, but an inability to live and work in the UK on a permanent basis has seen him loaned to clubs in Belgium, the Czech Republic and, on four occasions, Spain.
After time with Salamanca in the third tier and Mirandes in the second tier in the past two seasons, Arroyo has settled with Alaves this time out.
Deployed in various roles across the defence, the 23-year-old has so far played 22 times for the Basque club, though only 13 of those have come as a starter.
He came off the bench with Alaves 1-0 up in their playoff semi-final second leg against Eibar on Thursday night, with Asier Villalibre then scoring late on to secure a 3-1 aggregate victory.
That set up two meetings with Levante to determine who will go up and who will remain in the Segunda Division, those games taking place on June 11 and 17.
Beyond that, Arroyo faces an uncertain future – though having agreed a contract extension with Liverpool last summer, the club would seek a transfer fee if he were to leave permanently this summer.
