Category Sports News

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure to Real Madrid is edging ever closer – meaning Liverpool need to start thinking about how they might replace him.

The 26-year-old right-back has won it all since making his Reds debut in 2016, including the Premier League and Champions League.

It’s fair to say he leaves a sizeable void at right-back.

Alexander-Arnold has made a name for himself as a playmaking right-back, with his creative numbers growing season after season.

Under Jurgen Klopp, the England international’s talents were used in a variety of ways.

He started his career as an all-action right-back working in tandem with Andy Robertson, his full-back partner on the other flank.

Since Arne Slot has taken over as manager, Alexander-Arnold has continued to do this, often as a means to fashion one-against-one opportunities for Mohamed Salah on the right wing.

Time and again, the England international has proved invaluable for Liverpool, especially in terms of playing out from the back and creating chances.

Alexander-Arnold has faced questions about his defending throughout his career.

Conor Bradley has been Alexander-Arnold’s understudy since making the step up to the first team. The Northern Ireland international will inevitably be involved in the conversations around the replacement in the right-back spot.

Bradley has struggled to get a consistent run in the starting XI – playing just over 1,000 minutes this season. It has been tough enough for him to get game time given he is completing with Alexander-Arnold for a place, but recurring long-term injuries have also hampered him.

But Bradley – who offers a significantly different profile at full-back than Alexander-Arnold – has always shown huge promise whenever he has played.

The 21-year-old has a great appetite for defensive work and enjoys getting into physical duels, which dovetails with Slot’s desire for Liverpool players to maintain a strong counter-press.

In a small sample of about 750 league minutes last season, Bradley was averaging 7.62 progressive receptions per match – meaning that he was receiving the ball at least seven times a game in positions closer to the opposition goal.

Guela Doue (Strasbourg)

Guela Doue is 27 games into his second full season of senior football in Ligue 1, but is already making plenty of waves at Strasbourg under 40-year-old former Hull manager Liam Rosenior.

After breaking through in the 2023-24 season at Rennes, Doue has demonstrated his versatility since his switch to Strasbourg. The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international is a right-back who is well capable of playing as a wide centre-back in a three or a right wing-back.

The versatile defender has averaged 6.8 progressive carries with the ball this season in Ligue 1, standing only behind Diego Moreira at Strasbourg.

Like Alexander-Arnold, Doue likes receiving the ball deeper in his own half before progressing the ball further up the pitch with long passes forward to his winger or striker.

Anton Gaaei (Ajax)

Nicknamed the ‘Danish Beckham’ of Ajax, Anton Gaaei has progressed quickly to become the first-choice right-back this season under Francesco Farioli.

The 21-year-old, who joined Ajax after three seasons in the Danish Superliga with Viborg, has two goals and four assists in 21 Eredivisie appearances this term.

What immediately stands out about Gaaei is both the quality and variety of his crossing. He is able to generate a lot of power with his right boot to cross the ball from deeper areas or hit the byline and cut back into the box too. His trademark is a low cross hit diagonally to go past defenders to connect with onrushing team-mates.

Besides his crossing ability, Gaaei continues to improve on the defensive side of his game, which is helped by his excellent burst of pace in tracking back as well as making useful off-ball runs beyond his winger.

Entrusted with set-piece taking as well, the young Dane benefits from Ajax’s dominant style of play, which sees him generate about five crosses per match.

Martim Fernandes (Porto)

The youngest player of the three, and arguably the one with the greatest potential, is Martim Fernandes, who has impressed many since breaking into the Porto first team this season.

In 21 Liga Portugal appearances, Fernandes has five assists to his name and at just 19 years of age, is already a key creative cog in the side.

He enjoys playing on the front foot and much like Alexander-Arnold, he is an excellent crosser of the ball, adept at delivering into dangerous zones inside the opposition’s six-yard box.

No wonder he is averaging an expected assists (xA) per match figure of 0.31 in the Portuguese top flight, a hugely impressive figure considering his age.

The Porto number 52 shows promising movement while underlapping or overlapping to hit the byline to cross, and can manoeuvre in tight spaces to curl a cross into the box, much as Alexander-Arnold does.

In the Liga Portugal this term, Fernandes has averaged an impressive 3.61 crosses per match.

Real Madrid’s departure for Trent Alexander-Arnold is getting closer, so Liverpool needs to start considering how to replace him.

Since making his Reds debut in 2016, the 26-year-old right-back has won everything, including the Premier League and Champions League.

Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot still claims nothing has been resolved, but it’s fair to say that if he leaves, there would be a sizable gap at right-back.

Alexander-Arnold’s creative numbers are growing year after year, and he has established himself as a playmaking right-back.

The English international’s talents were used in a variety of ways under Jurgen Klopp.

He began his professional career as an all-action right-back working with Andy Robertson, his full-back partner on the other flank.

Alexander-Arnold has continued to do this since Arne Slot took over as manager, frequently as a way to create opportunities for Mohamed Salah on the right wing.

The England international has consistently been a valuable asset to Liverpool, particularly when it comes to creating chances and playing out of the back.

Alexander-Arnold has always had questions about his defense.

Since making the first team, Conor Bradley has been Alexander-Arnold’s understudy. The Northern Ireland international will undoubtedly be involved in the discussions surrounding the right-back replacement.

Bradley has struggled to maintain consistency in this season’s starting XI, playing just over 1, 000 games. Given that he and Alexander-Arnold are competing for spots, he has had to work hard enough to get game time, but recurring, long-term injuries have also been a hindrance.

Bradley has always shown great promise whenever he has played, despite having a significantly different profile at full-back than Alexander-Arnold.

The 21-year-old enjoys physical duels and is eager to do defensive work, which is in line with Slot’s desire for Liverpool players to maintain a strong counter-press.

Bradley averaged 7.62 progressive receptions per game in 750 league minutes last year, which means he was receiving the ball at least seven times in positions closer to the opposition goal.

Strasbourg’s Guela Doue

Guela Doue, who is 27 games into his second full season of senior league football, is already making waves at Strasbourg under the direction of 40-year-old former Hull manager Liam Rosenior.

Since moving to Strasbourg, Doue has shown his versatility after breaking ground in Rennes in the 2023-2019 season. The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international is a right-back who is capable of being a wide center-back in a three or a right-wing-back.

The versatile defender has only been surpassed at Strasbourg by Diego Moreira in terms of the average carries with the ball this season.

Similar to Alexander-Arnold, Doue enjoys receiving the ball deeper in his own half before moving the ball further up the pitch with long forward passes to his striker or winger.

Anton Gaaei (Ajax)

Anton Gaaei, who is now Francesco Farioli’s “Danish Beckham,” has quickly established himself as the team’s first-choice right-back this campaign.

The 21-year-old joined Ajax after three seasons with Viborg in the Danish Superliga, where he has made 21 Eredivisie appearances this season.

The variety and quality of Gaaei’s crossing immediately appeal. With his right boot, he can transfer a lot of power to the ball from deeper areas or to the byline and also cut back into the box. His signature is a diagonal low cross that he strikes diagonally past defenders to connect with his team-mates as they pass.

Gaaei continues to improve on the defensive end of his game, which is helped by his excellent quickness in tracking back and making effective off-ball runs beyond his winger.

The young Dane, who is also given the task of setting up set-piece play, benefits from Ajax’s dominant play, which produces about five crosses per match.

Porto’s Martim Fernandes

Martim Fernandes, who has impressed many since joining Porto’s first team this year, is the youngest player of the three and arguably the one with the greatest potential.

Fernandes, who is only 19 years old, is already a key creative force in the side and has five assists in his 21 Liga Portugal appearances.

He enjoys starting and is a great ball-carrier, skilled at getting into dangerous zones inside the opposition’s six-yard box, like Alexander-Arnold.

Given his age, it’s no wonder he averages an expected assists (xA) of 0.31 in the Portuguese top flight, which is incredibly impressive.

The Porto number 52 can maneuver in tight spaces to curl a cross into the box, much like Alexander-Arnold does, and exhibits promising movement when underlapping or overlapping to cross.

Fernandes has averaged a remarkable 3.61 crosses per match this term in Liga Portugal.