Frimpong isn’t a classic right-back, and that’s exactly why Liverpool want him | OneFootball

Why Jeremie Frimpong Could Be Arne Slot’s Perfect Liverpool Signing

You don’t replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. Not in the conventional sense. What you do, if you’re smart, is reshape the function. You find someone who doesn’t mimic his passes but multiplies your threats. That someone, increasingly, looks like Jeremie Frimpong.

Under Arne Slot, Liverpool’s right flank is on the brink of evolution, not replication. The search for the next right-back isn’t about finding another quarterback—it’s about installing a full-throttle attacker. And in Frimpong, currently tearing up Bundesliga defences for Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool may have found a fit not just for a position, but for a purpose.

Frimpong’s Game is Built for Chaos

Frimpong doesn’t so much play football as detonate it. His pace—clocked at 36.34km/h—is blistering, and his sprint volume (983 this season) leads the Bundesliga. This isn’t just about straight-line speed. It’s how he manipulates space. At Leverkusen, he doesn’t hug the touchline and wait; he invades the half-spaces, arrives late in the box, and pins full-backs with relentless movement.

He’s posted 4.19 progressive carries and 2.67 shot-creating actions per 90, numbers that scream verticality. In contrast to Alexander-Arnold’s surgical deliveries, Frimpong offers chaos: scrambles, overloads, unbalancing defenders. It’s this disruption that makes him valuable to Slot’s system—an approach increasingly modelled on movement and attacking volume.

Slot’s Tactical Shift Demands Runners

Arne Slot’s pre-Arsenal comments on Conor Bradley weren’t idle praise. Comparing him to Achraf Hakimi wasn’t just a compliment—it was a roadmap. Slot isn’t looking to replace creativity with creativity, but energy with energy.

Bradley, who himself averages 3.68 progressive carries and 1.94 shot-creating actions, has shown how valuable a dynamic outlet from deep can be. But he’s still raw. Frimpong, by contrast, has over 180 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen and Celtic. He’s proven, productive, and already playing in a high-intensity system.

Watch Liverpool’s second goal against Arsenal. Bradley bursts forward, drags his marker, and opens a lane for Mohamed Salah to exploit. Frimpong does this weekly in Germany. In fact, you could argue he’s what happens when Bradley grows up with three seasons of Xabi Alonso.

Frimpong Is Not Just Attack—He’s a System Fit

There’s a lazy criticism that Frimpong is a liability defensively. He isn’t. He’s just used differently. In Leverkusen’s set-up, his duties are angled towards recovery runs and wide pressing rather than sitting in a block. He wins 50% of his challenges—a respectable number for someone often isolated—and is statistically stronger in duels than Alexander-Arnold. It’s a question of deployment, not deficiency.

Liverpool will adjust their defensive structure to cover his raids, as they did for Trent. With the right midfield shielding—think Mac Allister deeper, or even Szoboszlai tucking in—Frimpong’s forward bursts become less a risk and more a release valve. And in possession? His 0.88 successful take-ons and 0.2 xA per 90 suggest end product with intent.

Why Frimpong Over Other Options

It’s not a long shortlist, truth be told. Martim Fernandes might have a higher ceiling, but he’s not ready. Others like Lutsharel Geertruida are versatile but don’t carry the same offensive threat.

Frimpong is homegrown. He has a release clause that can be paid over time. He’s already won titles, knows pressure, and fits the athletic profile Liverpool need to modernise the flank. Importantly, he’s not a player you grow into—he’s one you plug in now. He lets Salah conserve his runs, he syncs with Szoboszlai, and he forces defences to track back instead of stepping up.

The more you focus on what Frimpong does, not what he doesn’t, the more this move makes sense. If Liverpool want runners, not passers, on the right—it’s him. If they want to press, stretch and overload—it’s him. And if they want to do it without spending £70m? It’s him again.