Frimpong alternatives: The four right-backs that AI recommended to Liverpool as Trent replacements
Jeremie Frimpong could soon be a Liverpool player, juding by a variety of reports since the beginning of this week.
On Wednesday evening, Fabrizio Romano shared the news that the Reds are ‘close’ to completing a deal for the Bayer Leverkusen defender after further progress was made in talks relating to personal terms, with the 24-year-old set to come in as an immediate right-back replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Until such time that the transfer is completed, though, Richard Hughes won’t be able to celebrate too early; and the LFC sporting director may have alternative targets in mind, should there be any late hitches with the pursuit of the Dutchman.
AI suggests four Frimpong alternatives for Liverpool
In the latest instalment of Liverpool Confidential for the Daily Mail, Lewis Steele – in conjunction with Dominic King and Aadam Patel – turned to AI for recommendations on right-back alternatives to Frimpong that the Premier League champions could consider.
They consulted PLAIER – an AI company working with football clubs to provide insights on ideal transfer targets and make better informed recruitment decisions – fora list of recommended names for right-backs under the age of 25 as prospective replacements for Alexander-Arnold.
The software came back with four names which mightn’t be overly familiar to many Reds supporters – Bruno Gomes (Internacional), Arnau Martinez (Girona), Richard Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven) and Eduardo Quaresma (Sporting Lisbon).
Liverpool’s Frimpong alternatives assessed
That quartet don’t have as ubiquitous a profile in European football as Frimpong, so let’s explore them in a bit more detail to assess whether they might be viable targets for Liverpool in the future.
Gomes turned 24 last month and has spent his entire career so far in his native Brazil, with eight goals and five assists in 182 appearances…along with five red cards. He also has ample experience of playing as a number 6 or 8, providing a potential midfield option if needed (Transfermarkt).
Martinez (22) has played 160 times for Girona, with nine goals and 18 assists, but he didn’t feature in their Champions League game against the Reds in December. Merseyside scouts are believed to have scouted him in LaLiga in 2023, according to 90min.
USA international Ledezma (24) came off the bench in PSV’s 3-2 win over Liverpool in January, with stats from FBref highlighting him as one of the best full-backs in European competition for pass completion (87.1%) and progressive passes per game (6.43).
Quaresma (23) is a distant cousin of ex-Chelsea player Ricardo Quaresma and Brazil legend Zico. His inclusion in the search results from PLAIER seems surprising given that he mostly plays as a centre-back but has lined out on the right occasionally, with Football Talent Scout describing him as a ‘dominant, technically gifted and elegant’ defender.
With Frimpong seemingly closing in on a move to Anfield and Conor Bradley already in situ, the Reds probably won’t be in the market for a right-back in the foreseeable future if they get the Leverkusen star over the line.
Nonetheless, it’s interesting to see what the quantitative analysis has thrown up in terms of viable alternatives who may be worthy of consideration further down the line.
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