Liverpool need Alexander-Arnold cover: Here are the three best options
Robin Bairner
- 16 Sep 2023 03:44 CDT
- 4 min read
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has spent the summer fighting fires in his squad, having faced an uphill battle to land midfielders in order to rejuvenate an aging squad.
He eventually got there. Alexis Mac Allister arrived early from Brighton before Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch joined later in the window, the latter arriving on Deadline Day.
But this preoccupation with the midfield meant that other issues that Klopp is aware of were not addressed. There is still, for example, a lack of depth in Liverpool's defence, and particularly at right-back, where Trent Alexander-Arnold has been crying out for support for the best part of a year.
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Just how serious this problem is will be discovered on Saturday, when the Reds travel to Wolves in the Premier League.
Alexander-Arnold misses this game because of a hamstring complaint, a problem exacerbated by the absence of Virgil van Dijk from the heart of the rearguard because of suspension.
Joe Gomez is the man tipped to cover across for Klopp’s side, but although the 26-year-old can play right-back, Liverpool could use specialised cover by a player who more closely resembles Alexander-Arnold in style.
In conjunction with data analytics experts SciSports, FootballTransfers has come up with three potential names who could fill this void. These are players who interpret the right-back role in a similar way to Alexander-Arnold and possess his strengths of passing, crossing and defensive positioning.
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Jules Kounde: The experienced option
If Klopp wants a readymade player to step into the right-back area, he could look to Barcelona’s Jules Kounde, who at 24 years old already possesses a wealth of experience following a LaLiga title win and a run to the World Cup final with France.
The downsides? Kounde has been more regularly used as a centre-back by Barca and typically only plays off the right for France. It appears that he prefers playing centrally.
Furthermore, would he really want to sacrifice a starting role at Barcelona for a backup position at Anfield?
It’s a nice idea but, for the moment, is not particularly realistic, despite Barca’s financial problems potentially making a sale possible.
Devyne Rensch: One for the future
Ajax right-back Rensch is a likelier option for Liverpool, who are more used to looking for prospects when it comes to finding support for their first-team starters.
Although just 20, Rensch boasts nearly 100 first-team appearances for Ajax and could join a growing Dutch contingent at Anfield.
He boasts impressive offensive production, like Alexander-Arnold, and already has both a goal and an assist to his credit in five outings this season, missing just 38 minutes of action for his side in that period.
Rensch is also give a potential SciSkill score of 110.2, which by way of comparison is well ahead of Gomez’s current score of 100.3.
Amar Dedic: The offensive machine
Red Bull Salzburg Amar Dedic is another name that Klopp will have his eye on, with the 21-year-old Bosnia international capable of playing on either flank, though preferring the right.
Of these three options, he is the player with the most attacking pedigree. In 46 outings for the Austrian Bundesliga side, he has six goals and six assists – meaning he is involved in a goal more than once every four matches on average, a remarkable return for a full-back.
Moreover, Dedic has leadership capabilities, displaying the type of personality that Klopp loves. He may be young, but he has already captained the most powerful club side in Austria.
SciSports, however, rate him lower than Rensch but conversely with a higher Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), suggesting that the Dutchman is the ideal option to support Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool.
