Liverpool legend John Aldridge has urged Jurgen Klopp to save money this summer by making Trent Alexander-Arnold a permanent midfielder. The Reds are expected to prioritise midfield reinforcements at the end of the season, but Alexander-Arnold’s form may have sparked a rethink.
There’s a direct correlation between Liverpool’s six-game winning run and the 24-year-old right-back operating in more central areas.
Alexander-Arnold has provided six assists in his last seven games and is bound to give Klopp something to think about ahead of next season.
Liverpool will reportedly make at least one marquee midfield addition, with strong links to a £60million move for Brighton and Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister the most prominent.
But Aldridge, who scored 63 goals for Liverpool from 1987 to 1989, believes the club would be better off splashing the cash on a new right-back to accommodate Alexander-Arnold’s role switch.
He wrote in the Liverpool ECHO: “We’re not playing flamboyantly, we’re defending better, but we couldn’t have defended worse earlier in the season. There’s belief there. Trent’s been a revelation in midfield.
“I’d go as far as saying that’s his new position – and I never thought I’d say anything like that – his future is there. Liverpool have to go out and get a really good right-back. It’ll save so much money.
“For what he’s doing, his vision, he can do what Thiago does, he’s like a younger version of Thiago in some respects, but he’s quicker, more dynamic, he can defend better than Thiago.
“For the last year-and-a-half, he’s been frustrating at times. Whenever he gets the ball, there are four players around him. When he’s not playing well, he gets stifled out of the game, but his numbers are fantastic.
“He looks like he’s enjoying his football. He’s had the bit between his teeth in the last couple of months. I just applaud him; he’s been ridiculously good for the club.
“You talk about the legends of the club that we’ve seen over the years. He’s become one. He’s got a couple more years in him. It’s brilliant.”
James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are all expected to leave Anfield on free transfers on July 1.
And Aldridge admits that Liverpool need at least one new acquisition in midfield to revamp Klopp’s depth.
“We do need possibly one or two in midfield,” Aldridge continued.
“We’ve got to balance it up in there, and if you’re looking for a top player like Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice or whoever you’re talking £120m, you can get a very good right-back for £20m.
“We know how the owners work, I don’t know whether that’s what Jurgen wants, but it makes sense.”
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