With his contract expiring at the end of the season, and yet to put pen to paper, there’s mounting speculation is rife over the future of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The right-back is a generational talent, his attacking attributes one of a kind, and he has answered questions his defensive play, he has thrived under new boss Arne Slot.
So far this season the fans’ favourite has won 55% of his defensive duels and has made 44 defensive actions, such as blocks and tackles. Yet he has still maintained his attacking streak completing 83% of his crosses, and generating 94.9 expected assists.
European giants Real Madrid has been touted as a possible destination. If he does leave, who could replace the Scouser? They will be big boots to fill.
Conor Bradley
Considered as the natural the heir to the throne, the Norther Ireland captain impressed with 23 appearances under former boss Jurgen Klopp last season. Most notably his barnstorming goal against Chelsea announced himself to the Anfield faithful.
But how does he compare to Alexander-Arnold?
In goal creating situations, the Englishman excels, in 2023/24 alone he generated six expected assists, compared to Conor Bradley’s one. This highlights the quality of Alexander-Arnold’s deliveries compared to Bradley’s.
Defensively, the Northern Irish right-back excelled, winning almost double of his tackles last season compared to Alexander-Arnold. This defensive superiority could suit Arne Slot’s system, which focuses on pressing and defensive solidity, whilst minimising risks.
Gustavo Garcia dos Santos
A relative unknown who has returned similar numbers to Arnold. He is a 22-year-old Brazilian right-back currently on loan from Palmeiras, for CD Nacional in the Portuguese league.
The Brazilian would be a smart move for head honchos, Sporting Director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, FSG’s chief executive, especially with his £2 million market value. This season he has been equally impressive in attacking and defensive actions.
Stats provided by DataMB, show Garcia has has completed the majority of his crosses this season, a higher amount than the Scouse right-back’s 83%.
The Brazilian has also impressed with his expected assists (xA). However, the lower xA could potentially highlight a slightly lower quality of cross from the Portuguese League player compared to the Scouser.
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Defensively the Nacional right-back measures up well to Alexander-Arnold completing six more defensive actions than the Englishman and having a defensive duel success rate of almost 25% more than the Reds’ defender.
However, the Portuguese League can be seen as less competitive than the Premier League, so the data must be interpreted carefully.
Vanderson
Another Brazilian that could potentially replace Trent Alexander-Arnold is Vanderson of AS Monaco. The right-back uses his Brazilian flair to beat a man, alongside his defensive nous to keep his back line solid.
Vanderson’s attacking stats are less sensational than Alexander-Arnold’s, which can be seen in the graph, generating less 73.4 xA than the Liverpool right-back, while completing only a quarter of his crosses.
However, his awareness of defensive duties is where the Brazilian excels, with over double of Alexander-Arnold’s defensive actions. Ariel duels are also a strength for the Monaco right-back, winning 72% compared to the Liverpool right-back’s 13%.
The 23-year-old would be a more defensive minded replacement that could match Arne Slot’s style of play, which focuses on high ball retention and less risk-taking actions such as crosses.
