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With Trent-Alexander Arnold signing for Real Madrid and Andy Robertson facing an uncertain future, Liverpool are set for a new era at full-back.

Jeremie Frimpong has been signed to replace Alexander-Arnold, while Milos Kerkez looks likely to take over from Robertson next season.

Frimpong and Kerkez undoubtedly have big shoes to fill given what Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have achieved during their time at Liverpool.

Much like players who use casino free spins to boost their bankroll, the Reds hit the jackpot with their full-back over the past few seasons.

A pair of aces

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson played together on 279 occasions for Liverpool during a period when the club returned to the upper echelons of English football.

After progressing through the youth system, Alexander-Arnold made his first-team debut in 2016/17.

Robertson was signed from Hull City for £8 million in July 2017.

Since teaming up, the full-back duo helped Liverpool win 185 and draw 43 of those 279 games.

By any measure, that is an excellent record.

They were integral to former manager Jurgen Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ style of football, regularly contributing to Liverpool’s attacking output.

A defender has created 10 or more goals in a Premier League season on just 10 occasions.

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have each achieved the feat three times.

Alexander-Arnold (64) and Robertson (60) have tallied more assists than any defenders since the Premier League was launched in 1992.

Leighton Baines (53) is next on the list, while Graeme le Saux (44) is the only other player to break through the 40-assists bassier.

Matching the kings

While comparing players from different eras is generally an exercise in futility, it is a task worth undertaking where Alexander-Arnold and Robertson are concerned.

Mauro Tassotti and Paolo Maldini are the greatest full-back pairing in modern-era football following their exploits with AC Milan and Italy.

They featured in the same team 332 times and spent much of their time playing alongside Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta in the 1980s and 1990s.

They won five Serie A titles, three European Cups and numerous other trophies together during a golden era for Milan’s all-conquering team.

Cafu and Roberto Carlos (Brazil), Dani Carvajal and Marcelo (Real Madrid) and Gary Neville and Denis Irwin (Manchester United) are other full-back duos worthy of consideration.

They each achieved wonderful things during their respective careers, but are probably below Tassotti and Maldini in the ‘all-time greats’ debate.

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have a strong case to be included in the same bracket as those three pairings given the impact they made for Liverpool.

Liverpool’s new studs

As mentioned at the outset, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson are tough acts for Frimpong and Kerkez to follow at Liverpool.

After a spell with Celtic in Scotland, Frimpong established himself as a standout performer for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.

He played a key role in the title success in 2023/24 and continued to catch the eye with a series of stellar performances last season.

Frimpong faces competition from Conor Bradley for the starting role, but it would be no surprise to see him nail down a place in the first team.

Kerkez has quickly risen to prominence after failing to make his mark as a teenager at Milan.

He shone in the Eredivisie before Bournemouth signed him in July 2023.

He subsequently justified the club’s gamble, most notably helping them claim a club-record 56 points in the Premier League last season.

Kerkez has the ability to establish a formidable full-back pairing with Frimpong.

It will be intriguing to see how they eventually stack up against Alexander-Arnold and Robertson.


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