Is On-Loan Brazilian Midfielder Allan Rodrigues Worth the Wait for Liverpool?

Announced at the beginning of the summer transfer window in 2015, Liverpool's move to sign young midfielder Allan Rodrigues from Brazilian Serie A side Internacional came as a surprise to the majority of supporters.

Tony Barrett, then of the Times, revealed the details of the Reds' £500,000 pursuit in a short, 125-character tweet, sparking debate among the Liverpool fanbase over who this left-field target was:

The Guardian's Andy Hunter provided further information, revealing that a move for Allan was "part of a concerted effort by Liverpool to bolster their options at youth level," following the respective acquisitions of Brooks Lennon and Bobby Adekanye from Real Salt Lake and Barcelona.

Allan spent the summer with Brendan Rodgers' squad for the latter stages of pre-season, as well as Michael Beale's under-21s, using the time to integrate with his prospective team-mates, aided by the influence of fellow Brazilians Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and new signing Roberto Firmino.

The midfielder finally completed his move to Merseyside at the beginning of September, with the club confirming that he had "immediately joined Finnish side Seinajoen Jalkapallokerho on loan until January."

Plucked from obscurity and swiftly returned to it, Allan's Liverpool career so far has remained inconclusive, and while Lennon and Adekanye have established themselves as mainstays for the Liverpool under-18s, their South American counterpart remains something of an enigma hampered by work-permit issues.

Still out of the picture over 12 months after signing, is Allan really worth the wait for Liverpool?

Who is Allan Rodrigues?

Allan emerged on Liverpool's radar during the Frenz International Cup in Indonesia at the beginning of 2015, where the midfielder played a star role as an Internacional youth side surged to victory, triumphing over Valencia, Chonburi, Kashima Antlers, host side Frenz United, FC Porto and finally Estudiantes.

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

While the Reds dropped out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage, with a goal from Sergi Canos not enough to avoid defeat to Alberto Climent's Valencia, Liverpool under-18s manager Neil Critchley and his backroom staff clearly noted Allan's performances.

He is very much one for the academy, however, as even Lucas told Brazilian radio station Radio Guaiba (h/t Tribal Football's Chris Beattie) that Allan was a player with "little professional experience," though the Reds veteran asserted that "if Liverpool are signing him, he has quality."

Providing further background on Allan and his rise through the ranks at Internacional, Goal Brazil's Rodrigo Calvozzo told the Liverpool Echo's Kristian Walsh that the midfielder's "talent belies his teenage years":

"

Although very young, Allan Rodrigues was always treated by Internacional as one of the most important players in the team. At only 18 years old, the player stood out as the second man in a three-man midfield. ...

Despite his young age, Allan is appointed as a very calm player and his talent belies his teenage years. He is very technical, and the left-footed star likes to play long passes that generally seek the fast attackers ahead.

On the other hand, do not expect to see in this player much speed. Allan usually find[s] space to make decisive passes, but acceleration up the field is not something that should be expected.

"

As Calvozzo attests, Allan's qualities lie in his technical ability and his creativity, though he has also shown during his time as a senior player that he can operate with tenacity in a pressing system off the ball.

Allan is a diminutive prospect at just over 5'7", negating this by making use of his low centre of gravity and nimble footwork to navigate tricky midfield battles—as he did at the Frenz International Cup and, subsequently, on a series of loan spells since his move away from Liverpool.

Allan's Spells on Loan

Allan's switch to SJK was the first of three loan moves during his time on the books on Merseyside, with the Brazilian also spending time in the Belgian First Division A with Sint-Truiden in the second half of 2015/16 and with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, where he will spend the rest of 2016/17.

Having left Internacional without making a senior appearance for the Porto Alegre side, the move has provided Allan with invaluable first-team experience, and making a steady progression in quality of opposition has been key.

At SJK, Allan made an immediate impact, cutting onto his favoured left foot on the right-hand side of the penalty area to score an excellent goal on his debut in a 1-1 draw with Veikkausliiga side Kuopion Palloseura:

The youngster laid on another four goals during his spell in Finland, making eight league appearances as SJK sealed the title by a one-point margin. As he told Liverpool's official website in October, he gained "importance experience" in Seinajoki:

"

It was a very important experience for me—it was good to get some game time as I hadn’t been playing in a while. Moreover, I had never played a game at professional level before, so it was very valuable time I’ve spent there.

It’s only been seven years since SJK were founded, and they were a second-division club until recently.

They had finished third in the league two years ago and were runners-up last season, and now this year we’ve won the league. It’s been very rewarding and I’m very happy we did it.

"

Allan had returned to Liverpool's Melwood training facility following his time in Finland but was soon away again, though his spell with Sint-Truiden was arguably less fruitful, making nine appearances, including a mere three starts in the league. The Belgian side secured just one victory while he was on the pitch.

However, as Klopp explained after meeting Allan for the first time, "There is no chance in this moment here because he can’t get the permission to play here, so we have to send him out on loan," and most recently this has seen the 49-year-old utilise his Bundesliga connections to organise a season-long spell with Hertha.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Is Allan Worth the Wait?

As seen with the signings of Loris Karius (Mainz 05), Joel Matip (Schalke 04), Ragnar Klavan and Alex Manninger (both Augsburg) this summer—as well as Andre Wisdom's loan move to Red Bull Salzburg and the acquisition of former Salzburg forward Sadio Mane—Klopp's influence in the European market is a significant benefit to the Reds.

Following seven-year spells as manager at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, enjoying considerable success with the latter, Klopp has garnered a reputation as one of Germany's finest managerial talents.

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

This likely aided the 19-year-old's move to Hertha, which represents an improved challenge on his time with SJK and Sint-Truiden, and as the Liverpool Echo's Neil Jones revealed in May, "Liverpool hope Allan will gain sufficient experience over the next 12 months to qualify for a permit for the 2017/18 season in England."

However, to sign a young player for £500,000 and persist with various loan moves in order to secure a work permit is a relatively rare situation for Liverpool—and understandably so, given, for example, the struggle Arsenal faced following their signing of Wellington Silva from Fluminense in 2010:

• January, 2010: Wellington Silva trades Fluminense for Arsenal for £3.5 million.
• December, 2010: Arsenal confirm their work-permit application was denied by the Football Association.
• January, 2011: Silva begins four-year spell in Spain, with loans to Levante, Alcoyana, Ponferradina, Murcia and Almeria.
• October, 2014: The Telegraph reports that a 21-year-old Silva had finally been granted a work permit.
• August, 2015: Silva joins Bolton Wanderers on a season-long loan, scoring two goals and laying on four assists in 25 appearances.
• July, 2016: Silva, now 23, rejoins Fluminense, having made no appearances for Arsenal.

But this latest move, as Jones explained, is designed to fast-track Allan's case for a work permit, and as Klopp told the club's official website of his first time watching the youngster at Melwood, he believes this is worthwhile:

"

I saw him in training and I thought 'Oh my God, what can we do to keep this boy here and bring him into the line-up?' He’s 19 years old, an outstanding talent, a good player with a good attitude, everybody loves him, he’s a nice lad—so that’s really, really good. He’s a smart player. ...

Now for the first time he has got an invitation for the [Brazil] Under-20s team, and that’s great. It’s really deserved because he’s an outstanding talent.

"

Allan's creativity, tenacity and ability to play in a number of positions—at the base of the midfield, in a more expansive wide role or behind the striker as a playmaking No. 10—will no doubt appeal to Klopp, who is looking for tactical flexibility within his squad.

But this move to Hertha represents something of a make-or-break situation for the midfielder. Silva's miserable six years with Arsenal is a warning sign to Liverpool that after 2016/17, Allan must secure a work permit or face falling further into obscurity with Klopp's hands tied.

Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk, quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby_ and Facebook here.