Jürgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, has a $100 million option for a midfielder who could ease Jude Bellingham’s suffering while dominating the Premier League, according to Jamie Carragher.
Jude Bellingham, who was once a target for Liverpool, officially signed a transfer agreement this week from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid.
The Spanish behemoth has agreed to pay Bellingham an initial sum of $113 million (£89 million/€103 million), with the possibility of additional payments totaling $147 million (£115 million/€134 million) if certain add-ons are activated (via BBC Sport).
The Reds had long considered the young prodigy as their top target for the summer transfer window, but ultimately came to the conclusion that the potential cost of this deal—which could end up being the biggest for a midfielder in football history—would be too high for them to justify.
While they might have been able to sign Bellingham, the FSG model would not have provided them with the funds to sign additional quality midfielders, leaving the desperately needed rebuild unfinished.
Liverpool has already found a replacement for the $100 million midfielder it missed out on signing.
Following Jürgen Klopp’s use of the right-back in a novel hybrid position, Trent Alexander-Arnold excelled as a member of Liverpool’s double pivot in the closing stages of the previous campaign.
Alexander-Arnold led all Premier League players with 1,073 touches and seven assists over the course of 10 games in that position. Only Casemiro of Manchester United (89) had more possession victories than the Englishman (80), according to The Analyst. Games were being dominated by him like never before.
The anticipation surrounding Alexander-Arnold’s resurrected international prospects in the middle of the park is growing after his unsuccessful attempt to persuade England manager Gareth Southgate of his merits as a right-back.
In a Friday European qualifying match against Malta, Southgate started the 24-year-old as a right-sided number eight, and he put on a performance worthy of player of the match.
Some people might refuse to interpret the performance given the opponent’s characteristics—Malta is ranked 172nd in the world—but his two best plays—a long-ball pre-assist to Bukayo Saka and an outside-the-box screamer—were more a reflection of his personal brilliance than of the home team’s shortcomings.
It is still unclear what role he will play long-term because Klopp, if he can find a new right-back in the transfer market, may decide to use Alexander-Arnold as a full-time number eight.
Although the sample size is currently small, you get the impression that Liverpool supporters would consider Alexander-Arnold to be a fantasy midfield acquisition in the same way that Bellingham was if he were to put on these performances elsewhere.
He is a $100 million asset due to both his exceptional financial performance and his exceptional, unquantifiable gifts.
The Reds legend Jamie Carragher said on The Redmen TV, “I’m not sure, whoever you buy, whether you spend £100m on anyone, they can do much more than Trent.
Because this player is too talented to not be the focal point of the team, Carragher continued, “I believe that after another season I’d be considering saying, “Let’s buy a right-back and put him in midfield.
He has a team.
The fact that Alexander-Arnold will now have a full preseason to perfect his new skill is the most encouraging development for Liverpool supporters.
Let’s not forget that this positional adjustment was made rather hastily to bridge the gap between a midweek trip to Chelsea and a weekend matchup with Arsenal.
Despite the fact that Alexander-Arnold is constantly improving as a midfielder, there is still room for improvement.
