The Dutchman could potentially be on the Reds’ shortlist this summer.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is officially leaving — if Real Madrid get their way, perhaps even sooner than expected — and while Conor Bradley has proven himself an able deputy when fit, it is unclear if the Northern Irishman will be given the reins by Arne Slot when next season rolls around, and as such, whether the Reds will be looking to shop for a starter or a back-up at the right-back position this summer.
If a starter is the target, then the second decision is what kind of right-back profile the club will be in the market for. Trent’s specific production is going to be nigh impossible to replicate, and so the question is whether a quasi centre-back, and inverted playmaker type, or a bomb forward overlapper appeals to the gaffer the most — a similar decision must likely be made on the left side of defense, further complicating matters — but if it’s the latter, a high-profile option is available.
Jeremie Frimpong has garnered Liverpool’s interest, according to David Ornstein, and also signed a new contract back in 2023 which includes a £30m release clause, enough to send Jörg Schmadtke salivating. The Dutchman has been ripping up trees as an extremely attacking — he averaged the same number of touches in the penalty area as Mohamed Salah back in 2023/24 — wing-back in Xabi Alonso’s five-man backline at Bayer Leverkusen, and after five years in the Bundesliga, looks set to move on, along with a number of the club’s higher profile players.
Whether the 23-year old can adequately fill the role of a regular right-back in a back four is up for debate, as even when that was his main role before the arrival of Alonso, and despite his blistering recovery pace, he has never been a particularly dominant ball winner, nor a prolific blocker of crosses, and would likely require significant assistance from a midfielder or centre-back to secure his flank at the Premier League level.
The price and athletic profile certainly means the Manchester City youth product shouldn’t be discarded out of hand, and his arrival would send some strong signals about not only what kind of offense Slot wishes to establish next year, but also about what kinds of profiles will be targeted for the left-back spot.