Liverpool are set to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold - so who could replace him?

How do you replace a unique right-back?

It is the question Liverpool’s recruitment department will have been considering with increasing urgency as Trent Alexander-Arnold edges closer to a move away from Anfield this summer.

The simple answer is that you cannot find a like-for-like replacement. The 26-year-old is a one-of-a-kind player with a passing range and ability to create no other right-back can match.

Yet replacing Alexander-Arnold is something the Premier League’s champions-elect are almost certainly going to have to confront. So what does their head coach Arne Slot want from his full-backs, and who out there fits the template?

What Slot demands from his right-back

Under Liverpool’s previous manager Jurgen Klopp, Alexander-Arnold’s role was constantly evolving. He began as a flying full-back with a deadly cross before moving to a deeper position, where he frequently inverted and had the licence to roam.

Since Slot was appointed last summer, the style and system have been tweaked, and Alexander-Arnold’s role has been adapted too. Rather than drift into central areas or come searching for the ball, his start point for Liverpool’s initial build-up phase has been in a more typical right-back’s spot, slightly more advanced than the rest of the defensive unit — like an ‘L’ shape in the back line.

The role has required more positional discipline and, as the touch map below shows, he has been popping up centrally on the ball less frequently this season.

As a consequence, Alexander-Arnold is seeing less of the ball overall because of the increased focus on building attacks through the middle of the pitch — particularly via Ryan Gravenberch as the midfield pivot.

Long passes remain a key weapon in Alexander-Arnold’s arsenal, particularly the ball in behind the opposition defence for Mohamed Salah. Nearly a fifth of his distribution can be classified as a ‘long’ pass (the highest rate of his career, aside from last season).

Advertisement

However, his rate of crosses attempted (5.8 per 90 minutes, down on 7.0 last season and a peak of 10.8 five years ago) has dropped dramatically. Salah has carried the extra creative burden, excelling with his inswinging crosses to the back post, but Alexander-Arnold is still among the most active players in his progressive actions across Europe’s top five leagues.

Could Bradley be the answer?

We may have already seen what Slot is looking for from his right-back in the shape of Conor Bradley.

Just over a year ago, Bradley ignited his senior career with a run of form that brought him into the conversation as a potential Alexander-Arnold successor, including a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory against Chelsea in the January.

Bradley, now 21, could be Liverpool’s first choice at right-back next season. Joe Gomez can operate there (as can, slightly less naturally, Jarell Quansah) but it would be a gamble if they did not also sign a right-back to at least compete with Bradley. It would be very surprising if Calvin Ramsay, another 21-year-old currently on loan at Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock, got the ‘like a new signing’ tag.

Already captaining Northern Ireland’s national team despite his youth, Bradley is a much more orthodox full-back than Alexander-Arnold, highlighted by his touch map (since 2023-24) being more weighted to the touchline on that side of the pitch.

Notwithstanding the injury issues that have cost him multiple games over each of the past two seasons, one of Bradley’s best attributes is his athleticism. In particular, his selfless off-ball running has stretched opposition back lines — whether he receives the ball or not.

This is often seen on his underlapping runs that drive inside from a wide position.

These sprints forward can be into central areas to occupy the attention of the centre-backs, as shown in the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen in November. Bradley does not receive the ball in this sequence but his run is crucial in creating the space for Luis Diaz to score Liverpool’s third goal of the night.

Alternatively, Bradley’s runs can be found with passes made behind the opposition full-back.

As shown in September’s 5-1 win against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup, Salah finds the blindside run of Bradley, who becomes the most advanced player behind the visitors’ defensive line.

“Deep runs are probably the most important thing in football,” said Slot on Amazon Prime after Liverpool’s 3-1 victory against Leicester City in December.

“You don’t even always have to play to a player who makes the deep run — but then you can maybe create a bigger one-v-one situation for your winger, so the more deep runs you make, the more chance you have of winning a game.”

Where Alexander-Arnold’s off-ball runs are more likely to see him coming towards the player in possession, Bradley’s explosive darts take him beyond them. Having a full-back with the athleticism to make such runs is part of Slot’s ideals.

What are the external options?

This leads us to a player who has been strongly linked to Liverpool — Jeremie Frimpong.

The Dutchman is about as attacking as it gets among right-backs in the game today. He would represent a different profile if he joined Liverpool. He has become a wing-back who is more ‘wing’ than ‘back’. His 14 goals and 10 assists for Leverkusen in 2023-24 highlighted the impact he can make. He is matching his assist numbers this season (nine) but his goals have dropped (four).

Advertisement

Leverkusen have occasionally moved to a back four this season, with the 24-year-old operating as a winger instead. Liverpool supporters witnessed that first-hand during the 4-0 Champions League victory over Xabi Alonso’s side mentioned above.

Frimpong’s skill set means he is not required to be as involved in his side’s build-up. This is neatly outlined when looking at the off-ball runs he makes when his team have possession. As shown by SkillCorner’s profile, his running is geared more towards verticality and stretching the opposition with a high volume of runs ahead of the ball or into the box.

If Frimpong is the preferred option at Anfield, he would either have to adapt to playing a more balanced role or Slot would likely need to make some tactical tweaks to provide adequate protection in the right channel.

Liverpool’s right-sided centre-back Ibrahima Konate has already shown an ability to cover large spaces but it would ask different questions of Slot’s midfield and potentially require some adjustment of their roles — especially the right-sided attacking midfielder, an area that could get crowded if Salah signs a new contract and is still at the club next season.

Former Manchester City academy kid Frimpong did play as a more conventional right-back earlier in his career with Scotland’s Celtic and before Alonso arrived at Leverkusen and has also done it for the Netherlands’ national team, so Salah would probably find a way to make it work if they do become team-mates.

Assessing the right-back market heading into the summer, few readily available options would definitely appeal to Liverpool.

Let’s move on to Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro, who, across stylistic metrics, is more similar to Alexander-Arnold than most as a creator and ball progressor.

Porro (44) ranks second behind the Liverpool man (55) for chances created among right-backs in the Premier League this season. The 25-year-old Spain international has also delivered the most open-play crosses (109).

Data from SkillCorner shows Porro is active in making runs that support his side’s build-up compared with full-backs across Europe’s top seven leagues — whether that is coming towards the ball (Coming short, 87 out of 99) or pulling into the half-space or wide channel (Lateral run, 82 out of 99).

Crucially, Porro is active in making underlapping runs inside Spurs’ wide forward (57 out of 99). Slot shares this staple of Tottenham counterpart Ange Postecoglou’s attacking principles, with Porro adept at tucking inside to disrupt the opposition shape.

The biggest issue with a move for him would be Spurs’ reputation for tough negotiating.

Advertisement

Naturally, Liverpool were linked last summer with right-back Lutsharel Geertruida, a key component of Slot’s Feyenoord side that won the 2022-23 Eredivisie title back home in the Netherlands and added the KNVB Cup, the Dutch version of the FA Cup, the following season.

No player has made more appearances under Slot (more than 100 games across three seasons) and Geertruida, now 24, was trusted to lead from different roles, whether that was moving into midfield from right-back, or operating as a centre-back or as an orthodox full-back. To offer a more Swiss Army knife option to complement Bradley would make sense, but his move to RB Leipzig in August would make another transfer so soon surprising.

Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento is another option. The 22-year-old England international is a balanced, two-footed defender who can play in either full-back position. He combines ball-carrying attacking play with strong defensive work. He also has Premier League experience in the bank with Southampton and now Newcastle, but the latter have wealthy owners these days, so would likely demand a high price for him.

Tino Livramento could be a stylistic fit (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

At 23 years old, Vanderson profiles as a suitable candidate who would fit within Liverpool’s recruitment model. The Brazil international moved to Monaco from Gremio in his homeland in 2022 and has since developed into one of the most consistent right-backs in the French top flight.

Defensively, he is known to be aggressive and front-footed, regularly getting tight to his man to limit the space available to square him up in a one-v-one battle. On the occasions where that does occur, Vanderson often comes out on top anyway, with a 72 per cent success when coming up against a dribbling winger — among the top 10 per cent for full-backs in Ligue 1 this season.

Going forward, he does not have the same ability to execute the whipped, searching balls that we have grown accustomed to seeing from Alexander-Arnold, but there are positive attributes in his attacking play. Vanderson favours low, drilled crosses, often nicely weighted for a team-mate to finish first time (see the examples below).

Two players at Porto could interest Liverpool — Joao Mario, 25, and 19-year-old Martim Fernandes. Joao Mario has made one more league appearance (20 to 19) than his colleague so far this season but Fernandes is ahead in the assists battle (five to three).

Fernandes is one of the emerging prospects in Portugal’s Primera Liga and if Bradley is going to be Slot’s primary option at the position next season, a teenager currently experiencing his first season at senior level could be the ideal competition. Comfortable in possession, Fernandes prefers to carry the ball than pass it but still excels in chance creation. According to Opta, he has created the most ‘big chances’ per 90 minutes of any defender, who has played in a minimum of 10 games, in Europe’s top 10 leagues this season (0.96).

Advertisement

Joao Mario has more experience but still fits the age profile Liverpool would consider. He is another attack-minded full-back, and there are many similarities between the two Porto players — as you would suspect from two players competing for the same role in the same system. Fernandes can make more of a mark with his progressive passing than Joao Mario and similarly loves to get forward and create for his team-mates.

Replacing Alexander-Arnold is never going to be an easy task.

Finding another generational full-back with a unique skill set would feel impossible anyway and in what seems a limited market, Liverpool have an even tougher job on their hands.

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

Click here to read article