Liverpool were rocked by the news that Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave his boyhood club and join Real Madrid when his contract expires this summer.
Rocked, but not toppled. The 26-year-old's decision is exactly that: his decision. Liverpool will endure, and clinching the Premier League title (Arne Slot's side are firm favourites to do so) will soften the blow and then some.
Liverpool-Trent-Alexander-Arnold
But Alexander-Arnold will need replacing, for he is one of the most gifted footballers on the planet. While nothing is yet set in stone, reputable sources near and far have extinguished any feeble hopes that the vice-captain will extend his contract at Anfield.
It's too early for anything more than conjecture, but pointers suggest Jeremie Frimpong is right at the top of the list for sporting director Richard Hughes.
Why Frimpong could replace Trent
Bayer Leverkusen's right-flanker has been an instrumental part of his squad's success over the past several seasons, so destructive as he bounds up the wing with the speed and strength of a cheetah.
Jeremie Frimpong for Bayer Leverkusen
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool have already held internal discussions to sign the Dutchman, who is valued at €50m (about £42m) and, aged 24, could serve as a major player at Anfield for a long while.
While Frimpong operates as more of an attacking wing-back for Xabi Alonso, he has played ample football in a more traditional right-back berth (125 career appearances) and would certainly add a dimension to Slot's Liverpool team.
He differs greatly to Alexander-Arnold, but could bring a new sense of attacking quality to the right flank, ranking among the top 2% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, as per FBref.
Frimpong-Alexander-Arnold-stats
Well, maybe new isn't the right word. Indeed, Liverpool already have a player who boasts many of Frimpong's talents while also offering, perhaps, a more complete skill set.
You know who...
Liverpool already have their own Frimpong
The anguish relating to Alexander-Arnold's expected move away from Anfield is tempered somewhat by Conor Bradley's meteoric rise over the past 15 months or so.
conor-bradley-liverpool
Bradley, 21, burst onto the scene in Jurgen Klopp's outfit last season after previously excelling out on loan with Bolton Wanderers.
Alexander-Arnold actually singled out the "absolutely phenomenal" Bradley after his electric start to life in the big league, scoring a wonderful goal against Chelsea in the Premier League while chipping in with a handful of assists across the new year months.
Conor Bradley for Liverpool.
His performances left Liverpool in awe, immediately placating fans as Trent's possible (but still inconceivable at the time) departure simmered on the back burner.
Rewarded for his efforts with a Carabao Cup winners' medal, the right-back will hope to play for Liverpool for many years. According to reports from Belfast, he may well be on the way to achieving this, for talks have begun for a new contract on Merseyside.
Slot seemed to have answered in the affirmative when quizzed on whether Bradley has it in him to step up to the plate in Alexander-Arnold's absence, and you'd have to say that a signing such as Frimpong surely couldn't expect to just walk into the line-up.
It was a somewhat coy response, but one which carried a subtle undertow relating to his thoughts on Liverpool's second-choice right-back. Indeed, Bradley is probably cut from a more conventional cloth than his English teammate, whose creative skills are tantamount to "having Kevin De Bruyne playing at right-back," as said by pundit Jamie Carragher.
It's an irreplaceable skill set, but Liverpool do have someone who can fit into the position and make it his own. Bradley is that man. Frimpong's differing style to Trent may well actually help his case, but there's already a man in the area who can match much of the Bundesliga star's quality.
Sadly, injuries have reduced Bradley to more of a bit-part role this season, but you need only peak at the data collected across his stunning breakout campaign to see that he's the real deal.
Conor Bradley - Premier League Stats (23/24)
Stat
Goals
Assists
Shot-creating actions
Touches
Passes attempted
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Successful take-ons
Ball recoveries
Tackles won
Stats via FBref
As you see, quite the assortment of skills from the Northern Ireland international. Hailed as a "special character" by The Athletic's Andy Jones, known for his "fearlessness" (Bradley, not Jones), he's shown himself to have the mark of a future superstar.
Bradley's pace and impressive athleticism suggest he's got a big future ahead. Not afraid to fly in with crunching challenges, he's also endowed with an offensive spirit that has been evidenced through his ten goal involvements across only 50 senior showings for Liverpool.
He's something rather special, this one. Though Liverpool would be wise to bolster the right-back position if Alexander-Arnold does leave, you could argue that Liverpool already have a player who shows similarities to Frimpong while actually bearing the template to leap above the Netherlands star.
Reporter David Lynch even suggested last season that the 21-year-old would get into Liverpool's strongest starting XI. A bold, maybe even brazen, claim, but one which does shed light on the ability of this wonderful player.
Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley
Alexander-Arnold may well leave this summer, but there's a sense of security about Liverpool right now, with academy-fashioned talents such as Bradley populating the club and easing the financial strain that Hughes and Michael Edwards must adhere to within FSG's self-sustainable business model.
If Leverkusen look to play hardball over Frimpong, Liverpool need not worry. They already have a right-back with enough quality to nail down a starting berth for many years to come.
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