Despite picking up an injury early on in the new season, one of Liverpool’s summer signings, Jeremie Frimpong, had made a fast start to his career at Anfield. The Dutchman joined the club from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, for a fee of £29.5m.
Signed as a replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold, the 24-year-old flying wing-back has only played twice for Arne Slot’s side before suffering from a hamstring issue. However, he bagged a goal on his competitive debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, and played an hour on his Premier League debut against Bournemouth.
So, life at Anfield has started well for Frimpong despite the injury, even though he has had to step into the shoes of Alexander-Arnold.
Alexander-Arold’s start to life in Madrid
It is certainly not outlandish to call Liverpool academy graduate Alexander-Arnold a legend of the club. He played a key part in two Premier League title wins and a Champions League victory, as well as other trophies for his boyhood club.
Bowing out by winning Liverpool’s second top-flight title last season was a superb achievement for Alexander-Arnold.
Whilst it was not the 26-year-old’s best season of his career, with just ten assists and four goals in 49 games across the campaign, he still played a huge role in the team’s success.
Yet, there were times last season when the right-back got called out for his defensive ability, namely in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield. England boss Thomas Tuchel said he needs to “take the defensive part very, very seriously” to have an impact for his country.
After running down his contract to join Real Madrid over the summer, the Liverpool-born defender has already got stuck into life in the Spanish capital. He’s played eight games for the club so far, assisting two goals, both of which came in the Club World Cup.
Losing a star player like Alexander-Arnold in the way they did was a blow for Liverpool. They will be keen to avoid it in the future, but it may be unavoidable next summer, as well.
Konate is Liverpool’s new Alexander-Arnold
There are a few key first-team players at Anfield whose contracts will expire at the end of the season. Andy Robertson is one of the prominent names who could depart in the coming months.
However, the one departure that could get alarm bells ringing at Anfield is that of defender Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman, who earns £70k per week, is also out of contract at the end of the season.
Worryingly for the Reds, the Santiago Bernabeu could also be a destination for Konate. Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that the former RB Leipzig star is ‘one of the players they would like to bring in’ next summer.
In last season’s Premier League title win, Konate was a key player. He featured 31 times in the top-flight, and was even described as “the best defender in the Premier League” by fellow French centre-back William Gallas.
The numbers from 2024/25 and the season before highlight why Gallas said that.
For example, two years ago, Konate averaged 4.4 aerial duels won per 90 minutes, and last season he averaged two combined tackles and interceptions per game.
Pass accuracy
88%
90.3%
Passes completed
72.4
60.1
Tackles and interceptions
3.1
2
Aerial duels won
4.4
2.6
This season, however, the defender has not been the same player. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said the 26-year-old is “not at the races at all” so far this season, citing an error in the 3-2 win over Newcastle as one of the key mistakes.
It is easy to see how Konate is this season’s Alexander-Arnold. With one year left on his contract and Real Madrid showing interest, it is easy to see him running down his contract to join Los Blancos. Plus, his early defensive errors have been criticised.
Yet, the Reds academy star acted professionally and still worked hard last season to guide his side to the title. It has only been a poor start for Konate, and it is safe to assume he will follow his former teammate’s path and act professionally, too.