Trent Alexander-Arnold has officially bid farewell to his boyhood club, Liverpool. The Englishman, who made his debut against Manchester United in 2017, has ended an eight-year journey at Anfield, winning it all. Alexander-Arnold will move to Real Madrid in the summer as he seeks to play in the FIFA Club World Cup and compete for the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Now, the big questions surround Liverpool and their replacements for their academy graduate. Here are the three replacements that are suitable for Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool.
This could easily be the best possible move for both the player and Liverpool. Jeremie Frimpong has been fundamental to the evolution of Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso. Although he naturally is a full-back, Frimpong has been deployed as a wing-back in Alonso’s three-at-the-back system.
Frimpong has been an important player for Leverkusen’s attacking and defensive ability. He was an important part of the team that won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double last season. He and Alonso challenged Bayern Munich all the way in the Bundesliga again this season. However, the Bavarians were not to be denied this time, as Vincent Kompany won his first Bundesliga title as the club’s manager.
If we solely focus on defending, few full-backs have a better record than Nicolò Savona from Juventus. Savona is a young defensive star in the making after making his debut for the Old Lady earlier this season. Just like Frimpong, Savona also believes in versatility. However, he can occupy more positions than the Bayer Leverkusen wingback. The young player has the ability to play as a defensive midfielder and a fullback on either side.
As a result of his incredible performances for Juventus, he earned his first call-up for the Italian national team. He was previously associated with the Italian U21 team. Considering he is an all-out defensive player, he might need some coaching to improve his attacking output at Liverpool. After all, he is playing in a team that takes possession frequently, and he would have a certain Mohamed Salah waiting for a through ball on the wings constantly.
Why spend on a full-back when you have one at your club? Conor Bradley has shown many times his potential in the Liverpool shirt. The young defender has represented the Reds 26 times in all competitions, and 11 of them have been starts. His most significant moment came against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, where he played his heart out against Kylian Mbappe.
Now the question is whether he can do it regularly in the Liverpool shirt. Now, there is no security of Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside him. The pressure of doing it regularly as a first-team player is different from doing it as a backup. It all depends on how Arne Slot assembles his team and what he expects from his fullbacks.
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