Liverpool about to benefit from $40M transfer after Arne Slot's 'enormous blow'

Arne Slot is set to be without Conor Bradley for the rest of the season, with Jeremie Frimpong, Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez primed to fill in at full-back for Liverpool

Jeremie Frimpong celebrates with his Liverpool teammates after scoring against Barnsley in the FA Cup(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Part of the appeal when Liverpool signed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer was that the former Manchester City youth player was versatile.

The Reds knew that Mohamed Salah was going to AFCON mid-season and that they didn't have loads of depth in attack. Frimpong could play on the right, as he has done successfully in recent weeks, offering pace and dynamism.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold opting to join Real Madrid, there was also a need to add more quality at full-back — not in the same style as the former Liverpool No. 66, but in terms of attacking intent.

It would be fair to say that Conor Bradley has been the preferred option at right-back under Arne Slot without Alexander-Arnold, though Frimpong has spent a significant period of time on the treatment table.

Now, though, with Bradley set to miss the remainder of the campaign after he underwent surgery on a knee injury, Frimpong is going to be required to step up.

Is the Dutch international a full-back? Is he a winger? For his country, he is almost exclusively used in the latter position, while at Leverkusen, he was something in between. For Liverpool, his exact role is still to be worked out.

Jeremie Frimpong celebrates scoring Liverpool's second goal against Barnsley at Anfield(Image: PETER POWELL / AFP via Getty Images)

In the next few months, however, Frimpong is the obvious solution to the lack of Bradley. Chances to impress, should he remain fit, should not be in short supply.

Dominik Szoboszlai can play at full-back, but he is missed from the center of the field when he does. Joe Gomez is another option, but he is A) a center-back and B) not someone who is an absolute guarantee of remaining injury-free.

Frimpong, though his instincts are very much attack-first, is the most logical player Liverpool can turn to with Bradley sidelined.

"It is an enormous blow for [Bradley], but as a result of that it is a big blow for us as well, because I hope you don't think I would like to play Dominik Szoboszlai as a right full-back," Slot said on Monday.

"Jeremie Frimpong - he has to play a lot of minutes and has just come back from injury, having missed three or four months and not a lot of playing time.

"I liked him as well [against Barnsley] by the way, but I have to make sure he can play at the weekend. Then we go to Marseille, and then we go to Bournemouth."

So far, in his first half-season at Anfield, Frimpong has only shown glimpses of what he can do in a Liverpool jersey following a $40 million (£29 million) summer transfer move.

If the Reds are to go far in the competitions that remain up for grabs, he is likely to be needed as a central part of the team in the second chapter.