Unai Emery confirms Arsenal tried to sign Fabinho before Liverpool transfer

Jurgen Klopp talks to Fabinho of Liverpool. [Courtersy]

Unai Emery has confirmed Arsenal tried to sign Fabinho before he joined Liverpool.

Fabinho completed a £53m move to Anfield from Monaco in the summer of 2018 and endured a slow start to life on Merseyside.

His form picked up in the second half of last season and he played a key role in Liverpool's Champions League success.

Fabinho is now one of Jurgen Klopp's first picks and Emery believes Arsenal's new signings Nicolas Pepe and Dani Ceballos could enjoy a similar turnaround.

Pepe joined Arsenal in a £72m deal from Lille but has one penalty to his name so far while Ceballos, a loan recruit from Real Madrid, has been inconsistent at best.

Ahead of his side's clash 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."