Liverpool are currently facing an unexpected problem at right-back following the departure of one of the club’s most loyal academy products, who recently brought an end to his 20-year journey at Anfield by completing a £10 million move to Real Madrid. At first, the transfer did not appear to be a major concern, as the club believed they had already prepared adequately for life without him.
Both manager Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes were initially confident that Liverpool had enough quality and depth to cope with the change. The club quickly moved to secure the future of highly-rated youngster Conor Bradley by offering him a new contract, showing their faith in his ability to develop into a long-term first-choice option. Alongside that, Liverpool invested £29.5 million to sign Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, expecting the Dutch defender to provide immediate impact and stability on the right side of defence.
Despite the optimism surrounding his arrival, Frimpong has found it difficult to settle into the role as smoothly as anticipated. Although he impressed greatly during his time in Germany and arrived with a strong reputation, adapting to Liverpool’s tactical demands has proven more challenging. Questions have now started to emerge over whether his attacking style and defensive qualities are fully suited to Slot’s system, especially when asked to operate in a more disciplined defensive structure.
Liverpool’s situation has been made even worse by an unfortunate injury setback suffered by Bradley. The young defender is currently sidelined with a long-term issue, leaving the Reds desperately short of natural right-back options during a crucial stage of the campaign.
As a consequence, Slot has had little choice but to experiment with makeshift solutions. Midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have both been asked to fill in at right-back in recent fixtures. While their commitment and versatility have been appreciated, neither player possesses the natural defensive instincts or positional awareness typically required for the role.
Joe Gomez has also been called upon far more frequently than Liverpool originally intended. The experienced defender has done his best to provide cover, but the club did not expect to rely so heavily on him throughout the season.
With concerns continuing to grow, Liverpool are now believed to be seriously considering entering the transfer market in search of reinforcements. Reports indicate that Richard Hughes has already started assessing potential targets as the club looks to bring in a dependable and experienced right-back capable of solving an increasingly problematic situation.
