Jeremie Frimpong in action for Man City under-18s against Liverpool in 2017. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Jeremie Frimpong in action for Man City under-18s against Liverpool in 2017. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Jeremie Frimpong in action for Man City under-18s against Liverpool in 2017. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool are in talks to sign Jeremie Frimpong about returning to the Premier League.
There will be plenty of highlight reels watched. The stats enthusiasts will already conducting their due diligence and seeing how he compares to current options. And the name Jeremie Frimpong will continue to trend on social media.
Despite Liverpool still having two more games to play, they appear to be closing on their first summer transfer swoop. The Reds have reacted to losing Trent Alexander-Arnold, who will depart for Real Madrid on a free transfer. Frimpong has been swiftly identified as the replacement.
While Frimpong has completely different attributes to Alexander-Arnold, they are similar in the fact that both are attack-minded full-backs. Alexander-Arnold is known for his ball-playing prowess, while Frimpong’s game revolves around having pace and explosiveness down the flank. He has recorded an impressive five goals and 12 assists for Bayer Leverkusen this campaign.
Frimpong may arrive from Germany and be a Netherlands international, but he has plenty of roots in England. Moving to Greater Manchester as a child, he had a chance to join Liverpool’s academy, but transport issues denied him from doing so. He instead penned terms at Manchester City where he was honed between 2010-2019. However, a lack of first-team chances resulted in Frimpong departing for Celtic and subsequently joining Leverkusen in January 2021 where he would become a Bundesliga champion.
But because Frimpong came through City’s youth ranks, it means that he will be eligible as a Premier League homegrown player if he does complete a switch to Liverpool. To qualify for such a status, rules state any player must have been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).
Premier League rules read that ‘each club’s squad must contain no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the "Home Grown Player" (HGP) criteria. The rest of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be "Home Grown".
If clubs have fewer than eight homegrown players then they must have a reduced squad. As things stand, Liverpool have six homegrown players in their set-up. It means that the Reds were limited to a 21-player squad when resubmitting in February, supplemented by the likes of Harvey Elliott, Conor Bradley and James McConnell.
Ahead of next season, Alexander-Arnold will be scored off the squad list. In addition, there is a good chance that Caoimhin Kelleher will also not feature. The goalkeeper will be in the final year of his contract and has spoken of his desire to become a No.1 elsewhere. There is also the possibility of Tyler Morton being sold, with the midfielder not making a single appearance in the Premier League title triumph.
Elliott and Bradley will become senior players from next term and go towards the homegrown rule. They will join Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah and Viteslav Jaros on the list. And the potential arrival of Frimpong will free up more space for a non-homegrown arrival, with Liverpool aiming to recruit a new striker and potentially a left-back and centre-back.
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