Why Liverpool wanted to sign an upgrade on Jeremie Frimpong on deadline day

Liverpool came into this transfer window expecting a period of change.

Arne Slot had finally been given the boot and a new dawn was promised under Andoni Iraola. However, sadly for supporters, besides the absence of Mohamed Salah, the team looks the same.

Bradley Barcola has arrived to bolster the forward positions while Jeremie Jacquet has added a great deal to the backline. It needed it too; Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have not been good enough in the full-back positions.

Why Jeremie Frimpong is such a problem for Liverpool

When the Reds announced the addition of Frimpong last summer for a fee of just £29.5m, it brought about great excitement.

He was one of the most captivating, one of the most exciting players in the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso’s wing. However, as we all know by now, the difference between the German top-flight and the Premier League is stark.

REUTERS/Scott Heppell

Frimpong has struggled significantly, not just with form but also with injury. The Dutchman started just 12 times in the league last term due to hamstring problems.

That certainly did not help matters, but even when he has appeared on the team sheet, he has underwhelmed. How Liverpool fans are crying out for the return of Connor Bradley.

Frimpong has started the campaign in pretty dismal fashion. His crossing has totally deserted him, with Nottingham Forest simply content to let him have the ball in their 2-2 draw last weekend knowing he would not impact the game positively.

As the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle put it, he was also ‘erratic’ defensively, subsequently handed a 4/10 match rating. In that game, the 25-year-old was dragged off 20 minutes still to go having given away the ball 11 times, as well as failing to find the target with all four of his crosses.

Therefore, it is perhaps not much of a surprise to learn that Liverpool explored signing a replacement on transfer deadline day.

How Liverpool tried to upgrade on Frimpong

In the past year, the Reds have spent an extraordinary amount of money on improving their attack.

Alexander Isak arrived to the tune of £125m. Bradley Barcola was a £123m addition and Florian Wirtz a £116m acquisition. In contrast, the backline has been left relatively untouched, particularly this summer.

Ronald Araujo signed on loan and Jacquet arrived for big-money but it needs a larger overhaul than that. FSG have tried, though.

Reports from France on transfer deadline day suggested that Liverpool made a bid to sign Chelsea right-back Malo Gusto on loan.

That offer was swiftly knocked back by the Blues who were only interesting in letting the Frenchman go on a permanent basis. Iraola and Co were not open to that.

REUTERS/David Klein

That is hardly a surprise given a previously reported £75m asking price. That is way up on the £30m fee they signed him for. At that money, Liverpool would be right to turn down the idea of a permanent transfer. However, if it had a positive impact on their backline, it may well have been money well spent.

After all, this is a player who like Frimpong, is good going forward. However, the key point is that the former is better defensively.

While Gusto scored more goals, it is not much of a surprise to see that Frimpong dominates metrics such as successful dribbles and progressive carries. If there is one area where the Liverpool right-back does impress, it is in that regard.

From a defensive point of view, however, Chelsea’s full-back is the favourable pick here, making more tackles, interceptions and making more ball recoveries.

And here’s the crucial stat, Gusto is dribbled past on far fewer occasions per 90 minutes than Frimpong. £75m will have been a lot to pay for a player like him and the Reds have done the right thing passing up on the opportunity.

REUTERS/Scott Heppell

However, do not be surprised if Liverpool end up pursuing a right-back over the winter or next summer.