Forget Conor Bradley: Liverpool will replace Trent Alexander-Arnold with ‘incredible’ star
No one is talking about Liverpool's obvious replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold and it's not Conor Bradley.
As the days pass, it seems more and more likely that the Reds' no.66 is bound to leave Anfield for pastures new.
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With Madrid calling and Alexander-Arnold's contract expiring at the end of the season, the longer he goes on without reaching an agreement with the Reds, the closer he will be to linking up with Jude Bellingham at Real.
It will not be easy to replace Alexander-Arnold if he does leave. There are few players who have the same calibre in world football as the academy graduate.
Many see Conor Bradley as the natural replacement for Alexander-Arnold but there will be question marks about the Northern Irishman's injury record of late.
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Bradley would still be a valuable squad player but Liverpool might benefit from bringing in someone alongside him and there is an obvious candidate.
Why Neco Williams is the obvious candidate to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold
If Alexander-Arnold departs, Liverpool will see a homegrown star leave the club. He likely won't be the last homegrown player to leave either.
Caoimhin Kelleher is also expected to depart and there are question marks over the future of Harvey Elliott. Not to mention the likes of Vitezslav Jaros and Tyler Morton are also almost certain to leave.
With so many homegrown players on the move, Liverpool need to look at the homegrown market in the summer and this opens up the possibility of the Reds return for one of their own - Neco Williams.
This season the former academy graduate's numbers have shown he's ready for another step-up.
The 23-year-old has been a pivotal part of a Nottingham Forest side challenging for a place in the Champions League next season.
Williams has played both as right-back but has predominantly been playing as a left-back, despite this being his more unnatural position.
Yet he's flourished in the role - especially defensively. Among full-backs in the Premier League, no one has averaged more successful defensive actions (11.93 per 90) than Williams and no one has averaged more interceptions either (5.99 per 90).
Williams is simply brilliant in his reading of the game and considering Arne Slot wants defensively solidity from his players the Welsh international would be an ideal fit.
He's a different player to Alexander-Arnold, more explosive and direct than a ball-playing playmaker. In this sense he is very much in the mould of Bradley, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Slot's football definitely facilities that type of full-back profile more than Klopp's football ever did - maybe that's why things never worked out for Williams during his first stint at Anfield.
Williams is also a brilliant footballer though and Jurgen Klopp has previously praised his left foot as being 'incredible.'
The Reds can get him for a cut price as well. When they sold him to Forest for £17m back in 2022, Liverpool inserted a 15% sell on clause which could mean Richard Hughes getting him for a much more favourable fee.
And it might make even more sense to bring Williams in because of his ability to play left-back as well, which is another area where the Reds need to invest in.
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So, with Williams, Liverpool could fix two problems in one.
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