How Does Liverpool Replace Trent?

For the majority of this season, a rumor has swirled that Trent Alexander-Arnold might want to go to Real Madrid on a free transfer. This still remains a rumor but it’s starting to look more and more like an inevitable truth for Liverpool. Despite topping the Champions League group stage and leading the Premier League, Liverpool will most likely need to replace our world-class right-back this summer. The problem is, how do you do that?

READ MORE: My Liverpool Story: Following Footsteps by TJ Andrews
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I believe Trent Alexander-Arnold falls under four categories for Liverpool Football Club. Each of these will need to be addressed if Trent is leaving us. The categories are:

–Right Back
-Playmaker
-Vice-Captain
-The Scouser In Our Team

I believe all four to be important for Liverpool Football Club. Addressing them will allow the Reds to keep pushing forward and challenging for English and European titles. I will be addressing these points one by one. Starting with…

Replacing Trent As A Right Back

What can you do when your world-class right-back wants to leave? Do you try to buy another world-class right back? Or do you look to buy a top-quality one and trust your coaches to make him world-class?

If we look at a defensive right back, Jules Kounde at Barcelona is interesting. The only way we could sign him though is if a deal can be made involving Luis Diaz. There are rumors Barca wants to sign Monaco’s Vanderson, which could cause Kounde or Hector Fort to become available. Neither of these guys offer what Trent offers us. But perhaps Arne Slot is looking for something different. It’s worth adapting your style and system for Trent if you have him. However, when he goes, you will want a type of player Slot will get the most out of.

If we are looking at an, arguably, world-class attacking right back, Jeremie Frimpong at Bayer Leverkusen is a constantly rumored target for the Reds. I just recently found out Frimpong would be considered homegrown. This could be an added incentive to sign him. As entertaining as it would be to see Mohamed Salah and Frimpong give left-backs nightmares all season long, I believe it would require too much work to provide cover. I just don’t see it happening.

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If we are looking for a balance between a world-class defender and an attacker, look no further than Achraf Hakimi. It’d be almost impossible to sign him this summer. But he would comfortably replace what we are losing in Trent and if there is a chance, we should go all in for him.

A player who could potentially reach the level of Alexander-Arnold and Hakimi could be Pedro Porro from Tottenham Hotspur. Though a rumored £80m bid might make Liverpool a little squeamish and look elsewhere.

Maybe Liverpool will find a hidden gem that no one has spoken about yet. A swoop for Barca’s aforementioned target, Vanderson, wouldn’t be too shabby either. Trusting Arne Slot to coach him into a top-quality or even world-class right back for us isn’t terrible.

Replacing Him As A Playmaker

I think most people can agree this is the biggest reason any club would want Trent Alexander-Arnold playing for their team. So what happens when you go from a right back who could get the most goals for your club to, in my hypothetical scenario, right backs like Vanderson and Conor Bradley? That duo is more defensive-minded as a first priority and then more likely to attack by running up the wing and crossing from the edge of the box or even cutting in to shoot. You do what most other teams do and rely on your midfielders to be the playmakers.

Under Jurgen Klopp, Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were often criticized for not being defensive enough and not running back into defensive positions. At the same time, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson were often criticized for not pushing forward to create assists and score goals. I genuinely believe this was the system and style Klopp chose for us to play. Our right back and left back were a part of our attack and bombed forward, whilst our right and left midfielders were a part of our defense and stayed back to watch out for counterattacks.

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So what happens when you bring in a new manager and the season after that you buy new fullbacks? You start to see a change. Potentially, the fullbacks are now becoming defenders again and the midfielders can start to join in the attacks more. I believe with a right back like Conor Bradley and a left back like Joe Gomez, you will start to see players like Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Harvey Elliott start to push up and take more chances than they have this season.

This is because they are not looking around and seeing Trent inverting into an attacking midfield role, swinging a ball to the back post. Only for Robbo to get ahead of Gakpo or Diaz and try to head it past the goalkeeper.

Next season could be a massive test for our midfield. One of our greatest creators of chances could be gone and they collectively will need to step up. Together they should be able to create the same amount of chances Trent would have. If they are not up to the task, they will be replaced. Needless to say, I have faith in them that they will get the job done and be fine moving forward.

Replacing Him As A Vice-Captain

Maybe I am wrong but there seems to be an obvious choice to be our vice-captain. I was genuinely surprised Jurgen Klopp and the team chose Trent over this man the first time around. I will go through the names of honorable mentions though.

Alisson Becker would be a great vice-captain. He is just a genuinely lovely guy who seems to be quite caring for the people around him. He is also a player who leads by example. His world-class ability and mentality shine through. Other players have spoken about his performances inspiring them to keep pushing and win the game because Ali isn’t going to allow Liverpool to lose it. Nevertheless, I don’t think he will get it because his position is too close to Virgil van Dijk. It might seem trivial but you want leaders who are spread out. You want them to help the players around them through tough games. It’s hard to help out the attack when your captain and vice-captain are both meant to be sitting back, watching the game, and preparing for any potential counter.

Andrew Robertson is another great choice for Liverpool’s vice-captain. He’s already a captain of his national side and very clearly a leader in the squad. Robbo also doesn’t have the same ‘two defensive leaders’ issue as Alisson. His job is to bomb forward, create overlaps for assists and potentially cut in himself for shots when needed. The problem is he is likely going to receive serious competition next season and could be on the bench more than he plays if the player who comes in hits the ground running. You need your captain and vice-captain to be starters. We will see if Robbo will still be that or not next season.

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Ibrahima Konate is the likely choice if who I would pick doesn’t want it. Like we did with Trent, I’m looking for a vice-captain who could become our future captain in the next 3-5 years. The problem I have with Konate is the same with Alisson. You want a leader in defense (Virgil) who will set the team up on the pitch to win by observing strengths and weaknesses and making sure we work together not to concede. Then you want an attacker (Trent) who sees the game and makes the plays to create chances, provide assists, and even score goals when needed. Picking Konate is good for the future but having two defensive leaders doesn’t help us as much as a leader of our attack would.

So you may have guessed it at the beginning of this category and it might be obvious now but my choice for vice-captain is Mohamed Salah. He is already the leader of our attack. This is why I was surprised Trent got it in the first place. He is captain of Egypt and I hope he and Virgil sign contract extensions and help lead us into this new Arne Slot era. They’ll have a Premier League title all but in the bank and an aim to retain it next season.

Replacing Him As The Scouser In Our Team

So you might be surprised to know there are multiple options to become the Scouser in our team. Curtis Jones is a quality player, who is gaining the trust of Arne Slot so much that he played right back against Everton and Fulham. Curtis was praised for how well he did in that role. I expect Jones to be a regular first-team footballer throughout the next few years. He’ll start more games than he is coming off the bench as he develops into a top-quality player who can consistently change games and help us win them.

The other player I think will become the Scouser in our team is Jayden Danns. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him because, as we have seen in the past, the expectation to succeed can become a bit too much. With guys like Ben Woodburn and Rhian Brewster in the Klopp years, coming through as recent academy forwards, and being given the chance to shine but flattering to deceive.

However, the opportunity is there if Jayden Danns can stay fit to compete with Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez. Even if a new center forward comes in, Danns could start the cup games and impress with his performances in those. Maybe Jayden will start to get substitute appearances next season to run at defenders with tired legs and see what he can produce. Having our first-team players around him can only help. I have a feeling he could save us a lot of money and become a top-quality striker for us, competing with multiple other center-forwards for many years to come.

Is This Enough To Replace What He Means To Liverpool?

Comment below and let us know. I think most Liverpool fans still want Trent to stay and that is why it hurts to see him go. I can understand people who are upset or angry. Yet, I can also understand those who have already moved on because this rumor has circulated for quite a while.

Do you think Liverpool can replace Trent as a right-back, a playmaker, a vice-captain, and the Scouser in our team? Do you think we should be looking at different right backs to the ones I mentioned? Should we buy a playmaker instead of relying on who we have? I look forward to reading your comments and seeing the thoughts you want to share with us at American Scouser.