Jeremie Frimpong looks on during the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund at BayArena on May 11, 2025
If the departure of Jurgen Klopp has proven one thing, it's that Liverpool don't panic when faced with the impending exit of a vaunted figure. So there will be no surprise to learn a more considered approach is being taken to the imminent move of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Klopp informed club owners Fenway Sports Group as early as November 2023 before the news was made public in late January of last year. Rather than rush to line up a replacement, the decision was instead taken to restructure the football operations department entirely.
Michael Edwards returned as FSG's CEO of football before he headhunted Richard Hughes to become the sporting director. From there, an exhaustive and data-led search took them to the door of Arne Slot's Feyenoord's office, where he was recruited to replace Klopp.
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It was something of a left-field appointment that has since proven to be a spectacular success given the Dutchman has just taken the club to the Premier League title inside 10 months of his appointment.
So having been informed that Alexander-Arnold would be seeking pastures new as far back as March, it will be no surprise to hear Liverpool are not racing to their panic stations when it comes to the succession plan of their vice-captain.
Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong is the first real name to be linked in connection with filling the hole Alexander-Arnold will leave in the champions' squad this summer. Some reports on Tuesday spoke of the deal being virtually complete, but while the ECHO understands there is admiration from key figures inside Anfield, there is no suggestion the 24-year-old is on the cusp of a move just yet.
Stylistically, it would be a departure from the control and poise offered by Alexander-Arnold on the right side of the defence. Frimpong is more explosive in his approach, relying more on his ball-carrying qualities than passing.
Frimpong’s status as a ‘homegrown’ player under the guidelines set out by European football's governing body UEFA will also appeal. The Netherlands international spent nine years on Manchester City's books as a junior, so would help with meeting the quota for next season if he signs.
It's been widely reported that Frimpong would jump at the chance of moving to Merseyside, should any interest be formalised by Liverpool and the player's representative, Jeffrey Lemmert, set tongues wagging across social media this week when he posted a caption of 'we working' alongside an hourglass and rock-climbing emojis while travelling on an unspecified road.
It was the sort of cryptic post that has become par for the course where the transfer window is concerned, while Frimpong has also previously outlined his admiration for the Reds.
"Liverpool is a great club with history," Frimpong is said to have told Ziggo Sport back in February 2024. "That would be great. Who knows what the future will bring."
The existence of a release clause of just under £30m would appeal hugely to the Reds. That, in essence, eliminates the need for protracted and lengthy negotiations with Leverkusen and means any deal can be wrapped up in a number of days, should the green light be given.
Liverpool's discovery of similar terms in the contract of Alexis Mac Allister at Brighton allowed them to snare the Argentina international from the south coast for a fraction of his true value and was perhaps only discovered through their good relationship with agent Juan Gemili, which dated back over a decade to when Philippe Coutinho arrived at Anfield from Inter.
It was also a factor in their decision to push for Dominik Szoboszlai in late June of 2023 when at RB Leipzig. The £60m clause was initially thought to be too high by Jorg Schmadtke, the club's interim sporting director at the time, but the fact the stipulation in terms was void from the start of July was enough for the Reds to move quickly. As a result, it was a transfer that was wrapped up in just a few days.
With Frimpong having made it known he would love to come on board with his three international colleagues of Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, coupled with the release clause, Liverpool will feel they are well positioned at this stage of the rebuilding phase.
Personal terms for the 24-year-old would not be a stumbling block, so with the player keen and the clause in place, any formal move could be theoretically concluded at speed.
That's why there will be a relaxed approach to the Frimpong debate and why, in mid-May - and with the Premier League season still two games from concluding - Liverpool feel they are in no need to push forward with any particular plan for life after Alexander-Arnold just yet.
Leverkusen, for their part, are reported to be seeking a swift conclusion to any deal for their versatile defender. With Xabi Alonso departing and expected to join Real Madrid as Carlo Ancelotti's successor, the Bundesliga side, understandably, would like to have Frimpong's situation wrapped up one way or another to allow Alonso's replacement the full knowledge of what they will have to work with this summer both from a playing-staff and budgetary perspective.
Even before Alexander-Arnold's confirmation to Slot, the club will have drawn up alternatives for the position should Real Madrid's charm offensive have proven too much, so there will be no trepidation inside the AXA Training Centre when it comes to planning for what comes next. Slot, it seems, is happy to keep an open mind at this stage.
Unsurprisingly, the Reds' head coach has not been drawn into how he will go about replacing Alexander-Arnold but he has at least given a firm backing to Conor Bradley, likening the Northern Ireland international to Paris Saint-Germain's Acraf Hakimi, albeit with some space to develop before he reaches the Morocco international's level of consistency.
"[Bradley is] comparable maybe with Achraf Hakimi at PSG, he is everywhere during the game," Slot said last week. "But Hakimi is 26 I think. He is much more used to doing this every single week. He needs time, Conor, and a good programme to keep him fit."
It was a flattering comparison given Hakimi's exploits for Champions League finalists PSG this season but one that Slot would not make without being convinced of Bradley's quality. The real test for him comes next season when he is tasked with proving his fitness and durability on a more consistent basis.