Inside days of the present worst-kept secret in soccer taking an enormous step from hearsay to actuality, conversations turned to who ought to substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold ought to he transfer to Actual Madrid.
With the overall consensus seeming to be that gifted 21-year-old Conor Bradley isn’t fairly prepared, along with his growth stunted by lacking practically 50 matches over the previous two seasons by means of harm, lists of latest first-choice right-backs have been popping up as ceaselessly as an Alexander-Arnold diagonal.
The distinction, nonetheless, is that not like a type of trademark passes, the accuracy of lots of these strategies has been off.
Such because the rising argument that 24-year-old Dutchman Jeremie Frimpong is the perfect participant to fill Alexander-Arnold’s enormous – and arguably irreplaceable – footwear.
To be clear, Frimpong is a high quality participant.
Within the opinion of this author, he has spent lots of his profession to date being undervalued – be it not being seen as adequate to make the grade at Man Metropolis, taking some time to earn the sport time merited at Celtic or till lately being usually ignored at worldwide degree by Ronald Koeman.
It’s baffling that nobody moved for him final summer season when he was accessible for round £40 million. He’s a extremely gifted participant who’s enhancing each season.
A right-side road-runner who’s bodily sturdy, technically spectacular and extremely environment friendly relating to attacking output.
It most likely isn’t a stretch to say that the good Xabi Alonso aspect which gained Leverkusen’s first-ever league title in 2023/24 with out shedding a match – in addition to lifting the German Cup – wouldn’t have performed so with out their two supreme wing-backs Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo.
He’s not a right-back
Right here lies the core difficulty with Frimpong as Liverpool’s subsequent right-back – he isn’t truly a right-back.
His first few senior years did certainly see him enjoying within the place, but the arrival of Alonso in early 2022/23 noticed that change with the Spaniard’s choice for a wing-back system.
Over the course of the final three campaigns in all competitions, on the time of writing the Amsterdammer has performed 109 occasions with no consideration wing-back however solely 19 as a right-back.
Within the final two seasons, he’s appeared extra occasions in Mohamed Salah’s place as an attacking large ahead than he has at full-back. Certainly if something, the tactical development of Frimpong has seen him emerge extra into somebody who might play in Salah’s position sooner or later.
It’s the place Frimpong truly began final for the Netherlands within the Nations League towards Spain.
The 29 targets and 44 assists throughout his time in Germany have naturally drawn excited comparisons with Alexander-Arnold. Nonetheless, the truth is that persons are speaking a couple of participant who now basically performs in a special place.
Fuelling the assault, exposing the defence
One would possibly learn this and assume wait a minute, if Frimpong used to play as a right-back, has nice attacking capacity and if Arne Slot is supposed to be so good at serving to gamers excel in several roles, certainly it might work at Liverpool?
And it’s a honest argument when it comes to Frimpong particularly, contemplating how he has but to succeed in his peak years. Nonetheless, signing him could be to the detriment of different areas of the aspect that additionally want strengthening, particularly on the other flank at left-back.
It’s reported that Liverpool are lining up a transfer for Bournemouth’s flying Milos Kerkez because the long-term substitute for Andy Robertson.
If anybody has seen the Hungarian play this season, they may know he’s a really attacking left-back. A workforce through which he and Frimpong are enjoying would provide a aspect boundless attacking choices however depart it fully uncovered defensively.
Much more so should you then take into account that the present central defensive pairing features a regularly slowing Virgil van Dijk, who will probably be 34 subsequent season if nonetheless on the membership, and that the aspect at present doesn’t have a pure defensive midfield protect, with Waturo Endo at finest a back-up possibility who’s more likely to depart.
Even when Robertson had been to stay the first-choice in 2025/26, having Frimpong at right-back would go away Liverpool far too open. One of many important traits of the present title cost has been the defensive solidity, however this may be thrown out of the window.
And if Slot has already needed to ask Alexander-Arnold to play deeper this season to accommodate this extra measured tactical strategy, it’s onerous to see it working with a participant who likes to play even larger up the pitch.
Important tactical adjustments could be required
One possibility could be to reflect what Koeman does with the Netherlands and Denzel Dumfries, the Inter Milan wing-back who, like Frimpong, performs extraordinarily excessive basically as a right-winger.
With the Oranje, the left-back is commonly Nathan Ake, who as a pure left centre-back is ready to tuck in to make a again three while Dumfries pushes on.
Lately, with Ake injured, it was Ajax’s 19-year-old Jorrel Hato who took on the position – somebody additionally linked with Liverpool as a possible Robertson successor.
This technique moreover sees the orthodox right-sided attacker, equivalent to Xavi Simons or Donyell Malen, enjoying extra as an inside ahead than a conventional winger getting chalk on their boots.
In different phrases, to make Frimpong work, Slot must not solely alter what he requires from his left again but additionally ask Salah, most likely the most effective participant on this planet this season and positively probably the greatest in Liverpool’s historical past, to vary the attacking positions he’s taking up on the pitch.
To say that is unwise could be an understatement.
There isn’t a doubt Frimpong is a severe expertise. There are components of his recreation that do replicate Alexander-Arnold’s.
However, in a summer season of such significance for the long run growth of Slot’s squad, signing him could be an excessive amount of of a danger.
Discovering and committing to a long-term Alexander-Arnold successor – whether or not by bringing somebody in from the surface or trusting somebody from inside – is likely one of the greatest choices the membership has needed to make in a decade.
They should get it proper. They’d be getting it unsuitable by signing Frimpong.
