Jeremie Frimpong was the first signing of what was coined a statement summer for Liverpool, but the Dutchman’s debut season ended with more questions than answers.
Liverpool wasted little time in signing the Dutchman after Trent Alexander-Arnold made his final bow at Anfield, seeing him as competition for Conor Bradley and Mo Salah.
He arrived armed with pace, top-level experience and existing relationships with Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz.
There was a platform from which he could excel, but injury and a struggle to make any position his own left him without a World Cup place and the lingering question, where does he fit in?
Started23
As Sub12
Unused2
Goals2
Assists1
Total Apps35
Injury thwarts any hope of momentum or confidence for Jeremie Frimpong
BRIGHTON & HOVE, ENGLAND - Saturday, March 21, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong with an injury during the FA Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Liverpool FC at the AMEX Community Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Frimpong made quite the start in a Liverpool shirt by scoring from the unlikeliest of angles in the Community Shield, and then assuming the role at right-back in Bradley’s absence.
But his season was thwarted almost immediately by a hamstring injury sustained in the opening Premier League game, which saw him miss the next two matches.
It should have had the alarm bells ringing in Arne Slot‘s ears, with Bradley and Frimpong both having issues to start the campaign, ultimately leading to a rotating door at right-back.
Jeremie Frimpong’s Injury Record
Jeremie Frimpong missed 20 games due to injury in his debut season.
His number of games missed was the fifth-most of any Liverpool player in the 2025/26 season.
The 25-year-old returned and was later named in the starting lineup for only the fifth time at Frankfurt, before pulling up with his second hamstring injury in a few short months.
FRANKFURT, GERMANY - Wednesday, October 22, 2025: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong walks down the tunnel injured during the UEFA Champions League match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool FC at the Waldstadion. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
A 12-game absence followed, which also coincided with another issue for Bradley, compounding defensive woes at a time when Liverpool conceded three or more goals six times in a run of 10 games.
“It was really tough because I’m not really the type of guy that gets injured so it was really difficult for me to deal with,” Frimpong reflected during the season.
The demands of Premier League football asked more of his body and he reportedly put on around 4kg of muscle mass to adjust, and turned to hot yoga and pilates to aid recovery.
“It has been a big difference, I think, in terms of playing against the teams,” Frimpong said of the difference between England and Germany. “It’s much more demanding, much more physical. It is different.”
LONDON, ENGLAND - Thursday, January 8, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong during the FA Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at the Emirates Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
From the end of December to mid-January, Frimpong managed eight successive appearances only to then pull up just two minutes into Qarabag’s visit in the Champions League with a groin injury.
Another five games were spent on the sidelines recovering before putting together his longest spell in the team on his return, with 15 successive appearances, nine of which were starts.
One more minor issue saw him miss the penultimate match of the season at Aston Villa, before settling for a brief cameo on the final day to replace the outgoing Salah.
He endured an in-and-out season, and that, coupled with what was seemingly a lack of planning from Slot and Co. left him without a clear position.
Is Jeremie Frimpong a right-back, winger, or neither?
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Tuesday, March 10, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is replaced by substitute Jeremie Frimpong during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg match between Galatasaray SK and Liverpool FC at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Frimpong arrived having scored 29 goals and amassed 44 assists in Germany. But at right wing-back is where he thrived, mixing attack with the speed and aggression to track back.
That was not a position available to him at Liverpool, who needed him to provide depth at right-back and cover on the right wing, namely when Salah went to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Triggering his £29.5 million release clause was ‘good’ business for Liverpool on paper, but he neither looked like a right-back capable of breaking the game open nor a winger who could decide a game.
Slot seemingly lacked a clear path forward with his fellow countryman, as relying only on his pace was not going to get the best out of Frimpong or the rest of his side.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, December 27, 2025: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot gives Jeremie Frimpong instructions during a break in play during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Frimpong finished the season with just two goals and two assists, and completed 90 minutes just seven times from his 35 appearances.
That is not to say he has not shown the aggression that would have appealed to Liverpool, ranking joint-second for possession won in the final third, and third for successful dribbles per 90, but it is the lack of output and defined vision that is troublesome.
Of Frimpong’s roles, 71.4 percent of the time he was tasked with starting or coming on at right-back, with the other 28.6 percent made up of appearances on the wing.
Without having a significant influence in either position, he is first-choice in neither and Liverpool have a need to address the right wing and right-back positions in the summer window.
Liverpool need to find a solution for Jeremie Frimpong
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, March 15, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong applauds the supporters after being substituted off during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Even with a new head coach arriving in Andoni Iraola, Liverpool are unlikely to see a change of system that allows Frimpong to regularly play as the right wing-back, with the Spaniard typically favouring a 4-2-3-1.
What Frimpong needs is a clear job. Is he the second-choice right-back? Is he that and depth for the right wing? Or is he a versatile player who will float from need to need?
With the Premier League shifting to set-piece dominance and physical battles, Frimpong will also have to adapt and make himself invaluable to Liverpool, however that looks.
BRIGHTON & HOVE, ENGLAND - Saturday, March 21, 2026: Liverpool's Jeremie Frimpong (L) blocks Brighton & Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh's cross during the FA Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Liverpool FC at the AMEX Community Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
He has the qualities to succeed with pace, trickery and the desire to take on the opposition, but he needs to match the physicality of the opposition and spend less time on the ground.
Missing out on the Netherlands’ World Cup squad will be of huge personal disappointment, but it ought to aid his continued need to get his body in the shape required to sustain a full season without injury.
Not to mention, it means he will be able to report for the first day of pre-season in July, a factor that cannot be underestimated as Liverpool bid to put 2025/26 behind them.
Best moment: That Community Shield goal was pretty special and had supporters excited for what he may offer.
Worst moment: Pulling up with his third injury of the season after just two minutes against Qarabag at Anfield.
Role next season: Hard to see him anything other than a squad option, ready to fill in with injuries and make an impact off the bench. May be given a lifeline if Liverpool do not enter the market for a right-back.