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Cody Gakpo has said summer signing Jeremie Frimpong is the new fastest player in the Liverpool squad.
The full-back, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen this summer for a fee of $41million (€35M/£30M), developed a reputation in the Bundesliga for his rapid forays down the right wing. Gakpo knows this only too well from their time together on the international scene, and is looking forward to now combining at club level.
The forward has already started benefitting from Frimpong’s rapid bursts on the right flank, and the summer arrival picked out Gakpo at the back post in Sunday’s friendly win over Stoke City, before he teed up Federico Chiesa for a tap-in.
It was an early sign of what Liverpool fans can expect from Frimpong.
“[He will bring] a lot,” said Gakpo, in an interview with Liverpool’s website. “I think he has a lot of quality but I think one of his biggest qualities is he is maybe already the fastest player on the team.
“He is very fast, he has a good cross, he can defend, he can attack. I think he can help us a lot.”
Pace was one element lacking in Arne Slot’s title-winning squad last season, with Trent Alexander-Arnold registering the team’s fastest speed during the campaign.
But the Reds have looked to address that this summer with their business in the transfer market. Frimpong’s rapid accelerations on the right will be matched by Milos Kerkez on the opposite wing, while Florian Wirtz is also a nimble and positive runner in possession.
Hugo Ekitike, another player renowned for his speed, will add to the squad's improved physicality when his transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt is confirmed.
He is expected to meet the Reds in Hong Kong later this week and could even play a role in Saturday’s friendly against AC Milan.
It will be the third game of Liverpool’s pre-season, and Gakpo said the team is looking in good shape at this stage of the summer.
“Yeah, of course [pre-season is stepping up now]. I think we grew into pre-season for obvious reasons, and now we are here and I think the intensity will go up. We have to prepare for the season.
“Obviously, we had a great season last year and we want to get better as a team. And to challenge again for the title and for Europe.”
Liverpool travels to Japan after its time in Hong Kong and will take on Yokohama Marinos on July 30. The team will then fly home and faces a double header against Athletic Bilbao on August 4, before the Community Shield six days later.
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