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Arne Slot will be looking for a new free-kick taker at Liverpool after Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid paid £10m in compensation to the Reds in order to register the right-back in time to play at the Club World Cup this summer.

Although Liverpool fans have partly made their peace with the Scouser leaving his boyhood club to become the latest Galactico, Trent left a far bigger hole than simply who will occupy his place in the side.

Florian Wirtz arrived in a club-record deal to help fill the creative void left by Trent, but with little evidence gained from pre-season, the question remains as to who will assume free-kick duties this season.

Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Dominik Szoboszlai is thriving in his new role and could replicate the form he has shown when representing Hungary, whereas captain Virgil van Dijk surprisingly boasts an impressive catalogue of free-kick goals from his time with Celtic.

However, van Dijk’s set-piece prowess is hardly surprising in comparison to who Curtis Jones now deems the best free-kick taker at Anfield.

While Trent was known as the preferred free-kick taker during his last years with the club, Liverpool have not boasted a player in the squad who can consistently deliver from dead-ball situations since Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian scored three free-kick goals alone in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign before he completed his blockbuster move to Barcelona in the winter transfer window.

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Harvey Elliott, on the other hand, has never scored from a set-piece situation for the Reds, and while the England Under-21 international has never been seen deliberating with the likes of Mohamed Salah to fancy his chances on goal, Jones believes he is currently the best at Anfield.

When speaking to Sports Direct, Jones built his perfect player, which featured exclusively past and present Liverpool teammates:

@sportsdirectfootball

Build Your Ultimate Baller with Curtis Jones ? #sportsdirectfootball #adidasfootball

? original sound – Sports Direct

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Predictably, Jones picked Mohamed Salah as the player with the best left foot, before choosing Cody Gakpo for the right.

Outgoing forward Darwin Nunez was then selected as the quickest, with Ibrahima Konate getting the nod as the strongest player at Liverpool.

After picking Elliott as the best free-kick taker, Jones rounded off his selections with Luis Diaz as the most skilful, with Alexis Mac Allister named as the player with the highest football IQ – not including himself.

Now that Jones has put his Reds teammate in the limelight, it highlights the growing realisation among the Anfield faithful that they may never see Elliott put himself to the test for the club.

Elliott saw his minutes massively reduced last season, with only two of his 16 Premier League outings coming as starts.

Slot showed an unwillingness to rotate his starting XI, and while portions of the Liverpool supporters questioned the Dutchman’s approach, it ultimately secured the club their 20th league title.

Now, Elliott is negotiating terms with RB Leipzig as he looks to secure regular playing time away from Anfield this season.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

There is a silver lining: the Reds have expressed an eagerness to include a buy-back clause in a potential deal, which could see Elliott return to Merseyside in the future should he prove successful in the Bundesliga.

Elliott, a boyhood Liverpool fan, has endeared himself to the supporters as one of their own, and while many will want to see the midfielder stay and fight for his place in Slot’s side, none can blame him if he decides now is the time to move on.


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