Curtis Jones‘ future is uncertain heading into the summer, but rather than see Liverpool’s last Scouser leave, the solution could come with a new role at right-back.
Liverpool have got a lot of work to do in the summer. After adding nine and losing eight first-team players at the end of last season, sporting director Richard Hughes and owners FSG would have expected a quieter time this year.
However, a mix of decisions going wrong and more players moving on means that the ‘in’ tray is once again stacked high.
The right side is the biggest mystery at the moment. Mohamed Salah will be gone, Conor Bradley remains a mid- and long-term fitness doubt, Jeremie Frimpong still hasn’t found his perfect home within the system. Solutions are needed.
With suggestions that Liverpool will look to add three or four new players rather than five or six, some solutions may have to be found in-house. Arne Slot hasn’t been afraid to do so this season, with multiple midfielders appearing within the back line in times of necessity.
The latest of those may not only be the key to unlocking that right-sided problem, but may solve another in the process.
Captain’s endorsement: ‘Curtis was a game-changer’
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, April 19, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk kisses the badge as he celebrates with team-mate Curtis Jones (L) after scoring his side's second goal during the FA Premier League match between Everton FC and Liverpool FC, the 248th Merseyside Derby, at Bramley-Moore Dock. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The words have not come directly from his mouth, but there is mounting evidence to suggest that Curtis Jones is unsettled. Strong rumours in January that Inter Milan were interested didn’t materialise, but the waters have barely calmed since.
His viral pitchside argument with Slot, added to the fact that he has been benched by an often underperforming Alexis Mac Allister, has seen suggestions that he will be looking to move on this summer reappear.
With Salah and Andy Robertson already departing and Alisson giving serious consideration to joining them, losing another senior member of the squad is far from ideal – particularly a homegrown star, young enough to be a mainstay for many years and experienced enough to lead the next generation.
Jones’ recent run at right-back has been impressive, and while it’s clear some elements come more naturally to him than others, one man who knows a bit about defending believes that he has what it takes to give the team a new dimension.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, April 19, 2026: Liverpool's Curtis Jones challenges Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (R) during the FA Premier League match between Everton FC and Liverpool FC, the 248th Merseyside Derby, at Bramley-Moore Dock. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Virgil van Dijk was full of praise for Jones in the aftermath of Liverpool’s victory over Crystal Palace, on the back of his underrated showing in the Merseyside derby:
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“Curtis I thought was outstanding against Everton.
“[It] was not too much spoken about but especially in possession he was quite a big game-changer, especially in his positioning.”
Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool’s captain is well aware of the issues Liverpool have had in their buildup play this season, hearing the jeers rain down at Anfield as the ball is slowly shuffled between himself and Ibrahima Konate.
His long bomb for Salah to chase has also been less effective this year, and with deep-lying midfielder Ryan Gravenberch not a naturally gifted passer, teams have often been able to shut them down and keep the ball from the man who can do the most damage with it, Florian Wirtz.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 25, 2026: Liverpool's Curtis Jones (L) holds of Crystal Palace's Yéremy Pino during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Jones’ positioning may have occasionally caused issues in defence, such as picking up the wrong man and leaving a winger or full-back free on the touchline, but with more practice on the training pitch and guidance from the likes of Van Dijk, the Dutchman is adamant that Jones can give the team what is needed:
“It’s nice to be in your original position, but he is so comfortable on the ball, he understands what is asked from that position.”
That game intelligence is another underrated part of his arsenal, but it has helped Jones to thrive in a variety of different areas of the pitch already in his Liverpool career.
Slot’s right-back conundrum: Bradley, Frimpong or neither?
LONDON, ENGLAND - Thursday, January 8, 2026: Liverpool's Conor Bradley during the pre-match warm-up before the FA Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at the Emirates Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It’s clear from his new contract last summer that the club believe that Bradley has the ability to be the long-term solution at right-back, but even before his heartbreaking knee injury at the Emirates in January, there were questions around his durability.
The Northern Irishman made 51 appearances when on loan at Bolton in 2022/23, but hasn’t got anywhere near that at the elite level. He’s yet to crack the 30-game mark in three seasons in the first team, and only eight of his 56 appearances in Premier League and Champions League lasted the full 90 minutes.
Bradley is targeting a return to action in pre-season, but with so many question marks over his fitness, being available to start the season is far from guaranteed.
Right-back feels like a waste of Frimpong’s abilities. He lacks the strength to be an elite one-on-one defender, and while his pace does benefit from having space to run into, the added responsibility of playing with two rather than three centre-backs as he did at Leverkusen compromises his desire to constantly break forward.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 30, 2020: Liverpool’s Curtis Jones (L) and Trent Alexander-Arnold before the FA Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Liverpool FC at St. James’ Park. The game ended in a goal-less draw. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
A more pressing problem is that neither Bradley nor Frimpong have the passing range of the man they are replacing: Trent Alexander-Arnold.
For all of his defensive frailties, there’s no question that the team have missed his capacity for line-breaking passes, pinpoint switches of play and bravery in decision-making on the ball. Dominik Szoboszlai has come close at times when stationed in defence but Jones is the much more natural fit.
Fresh from combining a whopping 28 defensive contributions with a 94 percent passing accuracy at Everton, Jones backed that up with another full stat-sheet against Crystal Palace, including an assist, more successful tackles than any Liverpool player and more accurate passes than anyone except Konate.
Unlike the centre-back, Jones was regularly finding team-mates in the opposition half, resisting pressure and starting attacks.
The next Milner? How Slot can channel Klopp
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - Saturday, March 11, 2023: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp and James Milner (L) after the FA Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth won 1-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
For all that it looks like a great idea on paper, convincing Jones might take some doing, particularly if the rumours around the breakdown of his relationship with Slot hold any weight.
The viral clip of the midfielder shouting back at his head coach does not constitute a smoking gun – that’s a situation that occurs hundreds of times in football matches at every level all around the world. High stakes lead to high emotions, and the podcast circuit is awash with former players happily regaling stories of bust-ups with managers that were hidden from view and forgotten within days or even hours.
One such memorable occasion involved Jones, when James Milner clashed with Jurgen Klopp after being substituted for the No. 17 away at West Ham.
The argument quickly turned to laughter as Jones promptly provided an assist for Salah, but Liverpool’s much celebrated former vice-captain is a perfect example of how creative thinking can solve a multitude of problems.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 27, 2016: Liverpool's James Milner celebrates scoring the first goal against Tottenham Hotspur from the penalty spot during the FA Premier League match at White Hart Lane. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Short of options heading into his first full campaign in charge, Klopp turned on the charm to persuade his Yorkshire army knife to spend the season at left-back, where he excelled, starting 36 league games and playing a key part in driving the team back into the Champions League.
Twelve months later, Robertson was signed and Milner returned to the ranks of the midfielders.
It’s unlikely that Slot would need Jones to deputise for that long considering Bradley’s potential return, but if Jones gets a consistent run of games to start the season, he has the opportunity to make himself undroppable.
The grass may not be greener elsewhere
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, April 14, 2026: Liverpool's Curtis Jones reacts during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Jones has never been short of confidence, and might back himself to earn a starting spot in midfield for another team in the Champions League.
Veterans Henrik Mkhitaryan and Hakan Calhanoglu are no longer dominating the Inter midfield, but Jones would have to fight through Davide Frattesi, Piotr Zielinski and Petar Sucic to earn a space alongside Nicolo Barella.
The fortunes of Jones’ good friend Harvey Elliott may be enough to give cause for caution when entertaining any advances from Aston Villa. For all of the acrimony and passing of the buck between the clubs over Elliott’s desperate situation, the fact remains that Villa scouted him, decided to commit a large fee to bring him in, and then changed their minds.
Finally, the fact that Tottenham will be a bottom-six side for the second season running suggests that they might not be able to match Jones’ ambitions. Even with an adept coach like Roberto De Zerbi, they look more Championship than Champions League at present.
BIRKENHEAD, ENGLAND - Wednesday, September 13, 2017: Liverpool Under 18's manager Steven Gerrard celebrates with Curtis Jones at the end of the UEFA Youth League Group E match between Liverpool and Sevilla at Prenton Park. (Pic by Paul Greenwood/Propaganda)
To make the heart-wrenching decision to leave your boyhood club, just to end up on someone else’s bench, would be a travesty.
Jones’ former youth team coach and mentor Steven Gerrard revealed that it was the knowledge that any footballing achievements would mean more at his beloved Liverpool that kept him at the club when offers came to tempt him away, and it would be of no surprise were he to follow that same pattern, perhaps with a view to assuming the armband in the future as well.
To become captain, Liverpool’s last remaining Scouser will need to nail down a regular starting place – something that he would have expected to achieve by age 25 in his seventh season in the first team.
Curtis Jones: Career Appearance & Squad Importance
Season Apps Starts Minutes Rank
2019/20 12 6 587 21st
2020/21 34 22 1921 11th
2021/22 27 18 1533 17th
2022/23 23 13 1175 20th
2023/24 36 24 2032 17th
2024/25 46 27 2438 12th
2025/26 (so far) 45 24 2490 12th
* Performance data via Transfermarkt / LFCHistory.
However, as Slot has been keen to point out whenever the question has come up, Jones has played more minutes this season than ever, including six consecutive league starts across December and January and four starts in five in the early stages of the Champions League.
Slot may favour others over him at times, but there’s no doubt that he has more trust in Jones than everyone else regularly on the bench – along with making the most starts outside of Liverpool’s most-used XI (24), he has also come off the bench the second-most of any player (21).
Like Van Dijk, Slot also believes that he can make a difference at full-back, and give the team what they’ve been missing since No. 66 left for Madrid: “I wouldn’t say [he is] a copy of Trent, but Curtis gave us that quality on the ball – calm, finding the right passes, starting to dribble, he gave us that in the Everton game and that helped us.”
Why Curtis Jones would work as Liverpool right-back
LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 30, 2025: Liverpool's Curtis Jones receiving final instructions from head coach Arne Slot (R) during the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
One part of playing right-back that Jones will love is how often he gets on the ball. Against Everton he had by far the most touches of any Liverpool player, and he was behind only Konate against Crystal Palace. Not only was he integral to Liverpool’s attack but he was proactive in defence, killing the visitors’ attacks and starting his own.
His assist found him driving towards the edge of the box from a central position, so there can be no fears that he will be stuck far away from the action.
It will require a lot more discipline and training in the art of defending, but at this stage of the season, with four games remaining and a full training week ahead of each one, it feels like the perfect time to see what Jones at right-back looks like over a longer period.
Facing up against the likes of Amad Diallo, Alejandro Garnacho and Morgan Rogers will give the coaching staff plenty of information regarding how successful a plan it could be.
FRANKFURT, GERMANY - Wednesday, October 22, 2025: Liverpool's Curtis Jones celebrates his side's fifth goal during the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool FC at the Waldstadion. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
With Salah’s injury it’s likely that Frimpong will be mostly operating at right wing, while Joe Gomez feels like an able substitute to bring in if the game state requires change.
At the end of last season, the final four games were a chance to give starts to players who were desperate for more minutes.
It ultimately didn’t work out for Elliott, Jarell Quansah, Federico Chiesa or Wataru Endo, but Jones has the tools to buck that trend and save his Liverpool career.
The Big Debate
Should Curtis Jones stay as Liverpool’s long-term right-back?
Arne Slot has seen the “Trent quality” in Curtis Jones after two standout performances against Everton and Palace. While it offers a path to the starting XI, a move away from midfield could influence his future as Aston Villa wait in the wings ahead of the final year of his contract.
Would you like to see Jones stay in the back four? Have your say in the comments!