The €70m defender who will help Liverpool unleash Alexander-Arnold

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 Dec 2023 15:51 GMT
• 4 min read

Is Trent Alexander-Arnold a right-back or a midfielder?

At this point, it increasingly seems as though the 25-year-old is the latter, but there is an argument to be made that Jurgen Klopp should stick with the local boy at right-back and utilise him in the role that we saw towards the back-end of last season.

Rather than moving him into midfield permanently, Klopp could give Alexander-Arnold the freedom to move there when the situation permits. Jamie Carragher previously suggested that Liverpool should sign a defensive-minded right-back who would allow them to unleash Trent in midfield on a more regular basis, particularly in big matches - but what if we look at it from a different angle?

What if, rather than reinforcing the right, the Reds were to strengthen the left? When Klopp first began experimenting with Trent, Liverpool's backline often morphed into a back-three with Andrew Robertson tucking in and becoming a third centre-back. But the Scot at times showed that he is not a centre-back - and he is not getting any younger.

But there is a player out there - a player with whom the Reds have previously been linked and who will be available in 2024 - who can easily switch between playing as a left-back and a centre-back.

Hincapie ideal for Klopp's system

That player is Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie. The left-footed defender is equally comfortable out wide as he is centrally, having played almost as many games as a left-back for the Werkself as he has at centre-back.

At 21, the Ecuador international still has a lot of room to grow and the fact that he is not getting much playing time this season should not be a major concern as he has previously shown how good he can be. He is not one of the most highly-rated young defenders in the world for nothing; he just hasn't been able to break into Leverkusen's unbreachable, table-topping defence this term.

Hincapie's experience of playing in a back-three means that he could comfortably hold down the left at Liverpool, while Alexander-Arnold moves into a playmaker role from his right-back position.

According to BILD's Christian Falk "Piero Hincapie could be an interesting option for potential suitors again" in 2024. He told CaughtOffside: "I’ve heard that he has a release clause of €70 million. That’s why he could re-emerge on the table for Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Newcastle. We heard Milan and Roma are also interested in the Leverkusen player."

Liverpool would do well to beat the competition to his signature. According to SciSports, the 21-year-old has sky-high potential and could become a better player than any current Liverpool defender - including Virgil van Dijk and Robertson - except Trent.

The data experts also believe that he would be a good fit for the Reds, giving him a Club Fit rating of 72 as per their Career Advice tool, which analyses hundreds of data points to produce a score of how well a player would fit in at a side.