By Matt Ladson, ThisIsAnfield.com
The Spanish side are seeking a deal with Liverpool that would see the England international arrive before July 1st, allowing him to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup tournament.
Quite what happens between now and then, in terms of how Liverpool operate now that the news is out in public, will be extremely interesting.
Arne Slot has, if you listened closely to his recent press conferences, indicated that these final games of the season were an opportunity to give Conor Bradley a run of starts, but the Northern Irishman cannot seem to remain fit and therefore Alexander-Arnold has started the Reds’ last two games.
However, should Bradley be fit for these remaining three games against Arsenal, Brighton and Crystal Palace, it would surely make sense for the 21-year-old to start all three. Quite where that leaves Alexander-Arnold will be intriguing.
The player has no future at the club and any appearance could and probably would create a sideshow that isn’t wanted or needed when the club’s attention should be on celebrating winning the title.
Slot does not appear to be a manager who has much room for sentiment, either. There’s no need for Alexander-Arnold to play in these games and create a shadow over what has been a sensational debut campaign for the Dutch boss.
Having Bradley play these three remaining fixtures would also allow Slot to get a better look at whether he can step into the right-back role. “It’s going to be very important for him (Bradley), to become an even better player than he is now, to play many games in a row,” said Slot late last month.
Quite clearly, Bradley is a very different player to Alexander-Arnold. After all, nobody really in world football is quite capable of doing what Alexander-Arnold does. Liverpool are losing a generational talent with unique capabilities to play progressive passes from deep and unlock defences.
Replacing Alexander-Arnold, therefore, will not be a case of a like-for-like right-back or simply playing Bradley. That creativity and output needs to be replaced from other areas.
Some will call it ‘replacing him in the aggregate’ (get used to that phrase this summer) as you cannot just replace him with one other player.
Of course, a starting point would be having a more prolific goalscorer – not that Alexander-Arnold offers goals, but it would make Liverpool stronger overall and relinquish the pressure of needing to create in the way Alexander-Arnold does. Signing a number nine is clearly a very high priority.
There’s also a strong argument for an improvement or change of approach from midfield. A player like Adam Wharton, who offers line-breaking capabilities in the manner Alexander-Arnold does, would make sense. Liverpool are linked with a move for Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller, a player who would be an example of replacing Alexander-Arnold via other areas of the team (‘in the aggregate’).
Stiller, 24, has been compared to Toni Kroos and is capable of opening defences with left-footed passes in behind. The German has eight assists this season, ranking very highly in all passing metrics – including in the top 97 percentile for chances created. He ranks in the top 98 percentile for progressive passes per 90 this season.
And while Liverpool have had huge success with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this season, Slot will know that improvements can be found as he adapts the side more to his style of play. He’ll also be fully aware that the season is extremely long and demanding and more than three players are required for those positions, a player such as Stiller, who is fairly versatile, too, aids the whole centre of the side.
For Liverpool to prosper in a post-Alexander-Arnold world – and they surely will – they’ll need to find improvements throughout the team, not a like-for-like replacement. That work in the background appears to already be well underway ahead of what we’re expecting to be a busy summer of recruitment at Anfield.
(Images from IMAGO)
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