Liverpool’s Premier League title was secured weeks ago, but Arne Slot is already looking ahead to the next campaign to ensure the Reds can remain at the top of the pile.
Behind the scenes, the club are already planning for a busy summer that will involve many outgoings, alongside a few new faces too.
The phase for new dominance is already underway, with Slot having defensive priorities at the top of his shopping list.
His early moves suggest a clear intention to reshape the full-back positions with fresh, high-energy profiles tailored to his system, with a modern twist.
The flanks are now viewed as key zones for tactical reinvention, and we will be discussing the possibility of a new full-back duo arriving in a defensive refresh for the newly crowned champions.
REDEFINING THE RIGHT
The right flank at Liverpool has long been a place of invention, control and rhythm.
For nearly a decade, that role has belonged to one man.
A creative fulcrum rather than a traditional full-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold has redefined the position with a passing range more befitting a playmaker in midfield, than a defender.
Carl Recine/Getty Images.
Alexander-Arnold recently made the decision to depart his boyhood club come the end of this campaign, having decided against a contract extension, in pursuit of a new challenge that he feels will prove beneficial to his longer-term career – at Real Madrid.
For Liverpool, this will now mark a historic turning point.
In his absence, the Reds are not chasing continuity with the soon-to-be arrival of Alexander-Arnold’s replacement tasked with modernising the role entirely, through the guidance of Arne Slot.
Jeremie Frimpong, currently of Bayer Leverkusen is set to take his place next season.
The defender has already agreed personal terms and completed a medical, while just official confirmation is waiting in the wings.
Frimpong offers a directness alongside a sense of maturity, in which Slot has been hopeful of securing in a modernised version of Liverpool’s recent full-back history, long after Jurgen Klopp.
At Leverkusen, played as a wing-back, the defender thrived with the licence to tear forward, pin back defences and provide consistent end-product.
Under Arne Slot, not only will his responsibilities evolve, but his strengths remain essential to the new and improved system.
Replacing a figure as tactically significant as Trent Alexander-Arnold is no easy task, but Liverpool are not searching for a clone of their full-back, their making waves towards a new identity.
In Jeremie Frimpong, they’ve seemed to have found a player who fits Slot’s blueprint.
BUILDING BEYOND ROBERTSON
David Rawcliffe/Propaganda.
Andy Robertson has long been one of Liverpool’s most reliable pillars.
A tireless full-back whose intensity, overlapping runs and leadership, helped define their identity under Jurgen Klopp.
However, with age gradually taking its toll, the club is preparing for a natural evolution.
While Robertson’s influence remains valued, Arne Slot appears set on gradually shifting his role.
Not phasing him out entirely but redefining him as a senior figure within a more flexible and future-focused squad.
This is starting to take shape through Liverpool ramping up discussions with AFC Bournemouth over left-back, Milos Kerkez.
The 21-year-old Hungary international is seen as an ideal long-term successor to Andy Robertson.
Though not yet the finished product, Kerkez fits the model that Arne Slot prioritises, being young, athletic, tactically adaptable and technically proficient.
His system calls for intelligent positional play, control in possession whilst maintaining their attacking potency on the flanks.
Milos Kerkez has already agreed on personal terms with Liverpool. Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images.
The Hungarian left-back brings an aggressive, forward-thinking approach and his attacking nature would offer a more distinct, modern counterbalance to the more traditional strengths of Robertson.
Arne Slot sees this as a strategic transition. He isn’t just seeking new players, he is building depth and redefining the roles.
NEW IDENTITY FOR NEW ERA
Together, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez represent more than just personnel changes, they signal a subtle but important tactical evolution for Liverpool.
While Klopp’s full-backs, particularly Trent Alexander-Arnold, operated as deep-lying playmakers, whose vision and passing range shaped much of Liverpool’s buildup.
But Slot’s approach in his first campaign has been more measured and controlled.
Rather than immediate wholesale change, the Dutchman has begun steering the Reds to a style that balances pace and intensity, with tactical discipline.
Under Slot, full backs are evolving into high-energy disruptors who apply constant pressure, create overloads and push forward aggressively, but with greater control and tactical nuance.
This philosophy aligns closely with Liverpool’s renewed recruitment strategy led by Richard Hughes, supported by an oversight from FSG including Michael Edwards, in an advisory role.
The club now targets young, versatile talents with the physical and mental attributes to grow within a demanding system.
Frimpong and Kerkez envision these demands, suggesting Liverpool are aiming to build a more modern, agile squad geared for sustained competitiveness on the hunt for more silverware.
The real test for Liverpool begins now.
Arne Slot is at the forefront of attempting to evolve a title-winning side and create multiple foundations that proceed sustained success.
With Jeremie Frimpong all-but confirmed and Milos Kerkez next in line, this potential defensive duo could become the beating heart of Liverpool’s wide areas for seasons to come.
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