Transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested that Liverpool could make a significant saving in the summer market if Jurgen Klopp persists with playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield.
Nominally a right-back, the 24-year-old has been deployed further up the pitch in recent games, a move which has come in tandem with the Reds winning six successive matches, their best run of a difficult season.
The club continue to be linked with a whole host of midfielders, although one man believes FSG might be able to avoid a major splurge in that part of the pitch and instead invest elsewhere.
Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I’m not sure that Trent is going to be ready to be an out-and-out midfielder yet. I mean, there’s obviously the chance that it could happen and Klopp might have to explore it because he’s doing quite well there.
“You can see that Trent is actually enjoying the freedom. They could sign a right-back and save yourself some money in the middle of the park – that might be an option for sure.”
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So far, the 24-year-old’s redeployment has worked wonders for both him and Liverpool. In addition to the Reds’ upturn in form, the England international helped himself to six assists in five games during April, tripling his tally for the season from before the start of that sequence (Transfermarkt).
Whether Klopp will make it a permanent solution is another matter, as playing Trent higher up the pitch has left the defence somewhat exposed when the ball gets played in behind, with Ibrahima Konate often forced to cover the space vacated by the number 66.
As successful as the positional change has been up to now, it shouldn’t detract from the club’s need to bring in a couple of top-quality midfield signings this summer, while it’d also be advisable to consider adding a right-back alternative, where squad depth is relatively thin at Anfield (Transfermarkt).
Liverpool still need to be proactive in the transfer market over the coming months, even if the 24-year-old’s capabilities in a midfield role offer something of a safety net should the need for him to play there continue into next term.
The long-term viability of Trent as a midfielder may be better established if he has a full pre-season in that position, as six matches is still quite a small sample size.
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