Trent Alexander-Arnold is poised to leave Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu next season, having reportedly reached an agreement with Real Madrid upon the expiration of his contract with Liverpool this summer.
The 26-year-old will join his international teammate Jude Bellingham in Spain, creating a vacancy that Arne Slot will need to address promptly.
The Dutch manager faces a significant decision regarding how to fill the void left by the Englishman, but he is fortunate to have several options at his disposal.
Some may contend that Conor Bradley, who has served as Alexander-Arnold’s backup and excelled when given the opportunity, could be a ready-made replacement with the potential to become a key player in the future. Alternatively, the club might explore the transfer market, with Jeremie Frimpong being mentioned as a potential acquisition, and reports suggesting that a deal could be on the horizon.
To determine the most suitable replacement for the departing Alexander-Arnold, we have gathered statistics from the trio’s respective 2024/2025 league seasons to evaluate their performance across three critical areas: defending, attacking, and passing.
The majority of Alexander-Arnold’s critics will tell you that while he is one of the best right-backs ever offensively, it is the defensive side of his game that lets him down.
However, the numbers compared to Bradley and Frimpong per ninety minutes make for different reading.
Across the seven defensive categories measured, the Three Lions star comes out on top in three – interceptions, blocked shots, and tackles made.
In every other category, he is second only behind teammate Conor Bradley, who comes out on top in ground duels won, ground duels success rate, clearances and ball recoveries, showing that notions that he is more defensively astute that Alexnader-Arnold may be true.
It is not such positive reading for Frimpong, who is dead last in every area, which may be a result of Xabi Alonso’s slightly different system that he deploys at Bayer Leverkusen.