Arne Slot Reveals Liverpool's Master Plan to Fill Trent Alexander-Arnold's Irreplaceable Void

Instead of Liverpool's new right-back Jeremie Frimpong, Arne Slot has identified Florian Wirtz as the player who can restore the creative spark his team lost when Trent Alexander-Arnold departed for Real Madrid.

While questions surrounding the fullback's defensive capabilities lingered throughout his successful Liverpool tenure, his exceptional ability to find teammates with precise passing was never in question. Alexander-Arnold recorded more Premier League assists than any defender in the league's history (64) and frequently served as Liverpool's key to unlocking resolute defensive units.

Following his team's concluding pre-season friendlies on Monday, Slot recognized the gap left by Alexander-Arnold's departure. "With Trent's exit, we've lost significant creativity from deep positions - his crossing ability and knack for finding runners was truly exceptional," the Dutch manager confessed.

Nevertheless, he quickly noted: "Florian possesses this same attribute in a completely different role, bringing that creative element we need."

"Every area of our game can be enhanced," Slot continued. "We've acquired additional attacking tools. Florian brings tremendous creativity in the attacking third."

Wirtz certainly offers creative flair. Throughout the 2024–25 Bundesliga season, he featured among the top three performers for assists, expected assists and passes into the box. These statistics should be viewed considering that Wirtz compiled them in a league that's considerably more open than the Premier League, with abundant space available in matches filled with quick transitions.

This is where Mohamed Salah might interject.

Liverpool's relentless star forward gained more from Alexander-Arnold's distinctive passing ability than any teammate. The right-back delivered 146 'line-breaking passes'—forward passes that cut through the opponent's defensive structure—straight to Salah, according to Opta. No other partnership in the Premier League came remotely close to this impressive figure. Alexander-Arnold also played Salah through the opposition's defensive line (37) more frequently than any other combination.