Arne Slot has saeid liverpool remain “a work in progress” in both full-back positions but backed Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez too make their mark as his team stabilise.
Slot admits Liverpool are still adjusting to the end of the Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson era with injuries and disruption limiting the impact of their designated successors, including conor Bradley. Frimpong has improved since returning from his second hamstring injury of the season, however, and provided assists for Hugo Ekitiké and Ryan Gravenberch in the recent victories over Tottenham and Wolves. Slot believes the summer signings Frimpong and Kerkez, from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth respectively, will prove valuable assets for Liverpool, with their pace essential for the modern game.
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The Liverpool head coach said: “We had to make one change in that position because Trent left. That was not ideal for me as Trent was so meaningful to this club and was very critically important for me last season.
“When we looked in the market, Jeremie was one of the first we noticed. He has that pace similar to Conor, Milos and Robbo. That pace is one thing going forward but also if you face the forwards of Paris Saint-Germain or many premier League teams with very, very fast wingers. It is definitely helpful to have them. Unfortunately for them they have not always had the same players in front of them. So it is still a work in progress. Especially because too many times not all of them have been available and we have had to change because of load management. But, bit by bit, we see players and the team improving.”
That assessment also applies to Florian Wirtz, who scored his first Liverpool goal as his arrival for a potential £116m from Bayer Leverkusen.