Liverpool told to buy new right-back as Trent Alexander-Arnold should shift to midfield

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has made a big claim, saying that Trent Alexander-Arnold is an upgrade on Thiago Alcantara and that the Reds should sign a new right-back.

When the English right-back was providing assists after assists in recent seasons, many fans wondered if he can shift to central midfield. After all, our workhorse midfield under Jurgen Klopp has often lacked creative playmakers.

The German manager gave us exactly that this season. A couple of months back, he started playing Alexander-Arnold in midfield, although the 24-year-old still starts as a right-back on paper.

He has since provided six assists in the last seven league games. Trent looks like a player reborn. Aldridge believes he has a future in central midfield and is better than our Spanish magician.

Sensible change?

He wrote for the Liverpool Echo:

“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.

“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.”

First of all, Thiago is world-class. The way the ball sticks to his feet and the way he can weave his way out of tight spaces is second to none at the club. Trent has other attributes but he shouldn’t be praised at the expense of one of the most technically gifted footballers to ever grace the red Liverpool shirt.

The Spaniard’s problem has been his injuries and availability. Fans would still feel Alexander-Arnold works better at right-back and we can do with several world-class midfield additions instead. The likes of Philipp Lahm and Joshua Kimmich have shifted from full-back to central midfield in their careers.

But this is an experiment we don’t really have to make. Instead, we can just sign better midfielders and keep our No. 66 where he has earned the most plaudits in his career. He is having to play centrally because of a lack of quality in his team and injuries to other midfielders.

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He can always shift centrally in between games to influence play more but that is where we should draw the line.