‘I used to be instructed…’ – BBC duo reveal what they heard privately about Liverpool’s signing of Frimpong

Liverpool’s unprecedented summer season spending started with the £29.5m signing of Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen on the finish of Could.

The Dutchman gave the impression to be coming in as a direct right-back substitute for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who on the identical time was finishing his £8.4m transfer to Actual Madrid after months of hypothesis over his future.

When the 24-year-old got here to Anfield, Bundesliga skilled Kevin Hatchard identified that his strongest asset is tempo, whereas the Reds’ former vice-captain stood out for his passing vary, and the summer season arrival had dazzled as a roving wing-back at his earlier membership.

BBC duo reveal what they heard about Frimpong

On the newest episode of BBC Sport‘s Monday Evening Membership, Mark Chapman and Stephen Warnock each revealed what they’d privately heard about Frimpong on the time that he joined Liverpool.

The Match of the Day host claimed that the Netherlands worldwide was signed with a view to enjoying as a large attacker as a lot as a right-back, saying: “I used to be instructed by somebody related to the membership that he was as a lot introduced in that he may deputise for Salah.”

The previous Reds defender then aired his reservations concerning the 24-year-old as he stated: “He performed as a wing-back for Leverkusen and within the excessive proper place. He by no means performed the correct of a 3 on the again as a result of he’s not a defender.

“Plenty of my mates are coaches and when he signed, my mate circled and stated that Liverpool have removed somebody who can’t defend with somebody who can’t defend much more.”

The place does Frimpong match into Liverpool’s line-up?

On the identical podcast, Chris Sutton decried Arne Slot’s persistent use of midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back and described that place as ‘a large number’ at Anfield at the moment.

Even when accounting for the minory damage he sustained in August, Frimpong has had an unsettled begin to his Liverpool profession, beginning simply 5 of our first 12 matches this season, and none within the Premier League because the opening night time win over Bournemouth (Transfermarkt).

To underline Chapman’s level, he was even deployed in an attacking position within the defeat to Galatasaray three weeks in the past…when Szoboszlai began at right-back in a big gamble by the pinnacle coach which didn’t work out as initially hoped.

Conor Bradley has been the popular alternative on the right-hand facet of defence in current top-flight video games, however the lack of stability in that place is mirrored in the truth that, of his 9 appearances to this point this season, just one has seen him play a full match (Transfermarkt).

Plainly Frimpong has but to totally earn Slot’s belief at Liverpool, given his sparsity of begins regardless of starring within the Leverkusen facet which gained an unbeaten German double in 2023/24.

If the 24-year-old can’t be trusted in a defensive sense, as Warnock has implied, it calls into query the place precisely he most closely fits into this Reds line-up, and whether or not he can carve out an everyday beginning berth at Anfield. Having solely joined in the summertime, although, he nonetheless has loads of time on his facet.

You possibly can watch Slot’s full post-Manchester United press convention by way of Empire of the Kop on YouTube: