Liverpool are currently facing a growing concern at right-back after 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 transfer to Real Madrid. At first, the move did not appear to cause major alarm within the club. Liverpool’s hierarchy believed they had already prepared adequately for life without their long-serving defender and were confident the squad possessed enough quality and depth to cope with the change.
Head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes were both convinced the transition would be smooth. Their confidence was strengthened by the club’s decision to hand a fresh long-term contract to talented youngster Conor Bradley, who was viewed internally as a player capable of developing into Liverpool’s first-choice right-back for years to come. Alongside that, Liverpool invested heavily in the signing of Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported £29.5 million, expecting the Dutchman to add pace, attacking quality, and reliability to the position immediately.
Despite the optimism surrounding those decisions, the situation has become increasingly problematic. Frimpong, now 25 years old, has found it difficult to settle into the tactical demands of Liverpool’s defensive structure. Although he arrived at Anfield with an impressive reputation following his performances in Germany, adapting to the responsibilities of a traditional right-back role in the Premier League has proven more challenging than anticipated. Questions have now started to emerge regarding whether his strengths are better suited to a wing-back system rather than a conventional back four.
Liverpool’s problems have been made worse by Bradley’s unfortunate long-term injury setback. The young defender was expected to compete regularly for the position, but his absence has left Slot with very limited natural options on the right side of defence.
Because of the shortage, Liverpool have been forced to experiment with makeshift solutions in recent matches. Midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones have both filled in at right-back when required. While both players have worked hard and shown commitment, neither possesses the natural defensive instincts or positional awareness typically needed to consistently perform in that role at the highest level.
