Somewhere in Germany, in a Red Bull Group office complex, Jurgen Klopp perhaps unleashed a few fist bumps when Liverpool thrashed Tottenham Hotspur to seal the Premier League trophy.
Klopp’s self-defined “heavy metal football” left with him at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, replaced by something smoother and cooler in the form of Arne Slot.
Both approaches have borne dividends for Liverpool, Klopp creating a dynasty before his successor took the reins and won the Premier League in his first year in the dugout.
Slot has dealt with adversity this term and emerged on top, but now must contend with the loss of Liverpool’s focal creative source, Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Why losing Alexander-Arnold is such a big blow
Alexander-Arnold has been at Liverpool for two decades, moving up and up through the youth floors before knocking on Klopp’s door in the early years of his tenure.
He’s now one of the driving forces behind a sustained period of success at Anfield. Liverpool are a team of many parts, but Trent has been one of the most important cogs in the system, with his peerless passing and eagle-eyed vision making so many opponents pay over the years.
Having won the full gamut, the 26-year-old will depart a fundamental part in putting the Reds back on their perch. He’s played 352 matches for Liverpool, scoring 23 goals and laying on 92 assists.
Real Madrid are the expected destination, and Liverpool now need to find a way to replace their chief playmaker’s output. As per FBref, the Three Lions star ranks among the top 1% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes and the top 5% for shot-creating actions per 90.
1
Trent Alexander-Arnold
64
2
Andy Robertson
59
3
Leighton Baines
53
4
Graeme Le Saux
44
5
Kieran Trippier
38
Alexander-Arnold’s one-of-a-kind talent is not something that Liverpool can replicate at right-back. Bradley is an exciting player, but he’s not Trent.
However, Liverpool aren’t against sourcing a new means of elite creativity, having found an interesting solution in another area of the pitch.
Liverpool make proposal for Premier League legend
As per Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, Liverpool have made a surprise contractual offer for Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, whose deal at the Etihad expires at the end of the season.
While Napoli are also pushing, Liverpool have a financial advantage over the Serie A’s first-placed side and could blow them out of the water, should they continue to insist upon a pre-contract arrangement.
De Bruyne, a boyhood Liverpool fan, turned 33 this year and has been frustrated by injuries in recent seasons, but still retains an artistry to his creative approach, which is among the finest Europe has seen.
Why Liverpool should sign Kevin De Bruyne
De Bruyne may not know where he’s going to end up but he has made it clear that he’s still got mileage in the engine and isn’t against winding up at another Premier League club.
It’s been quite the career in English football for the Belgian, who fell by the wayside as a Chelsea prospect before finding a new home in Belgium and then finding his feet and then some at Manchester City, joining from Wolfsburg in a £55m deal in 2015.
He’s one of the most accomplished and decorated Premier League players of his generation, even described as “one of the greatest midfielders ever” by his manager Pep Guardiola.
De Bruyne might be approaching the twilight years of his career, but he’s certainly still got it. FBref have recorded that he ranks among the top 7% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues and the top 3% for passes attempted, progressive passes and shot-creating actions per 90.
Now, why would Liverpool want to pursue an ageing attacking midfielder such as De Bruyne? After all, Slot already wields the energy of Dominik Szoboszlai, Harvey Elliott’s natural spark.
Well, the answer is obvious. Liverpool need signings, and they need quite a few. Left-back, centre-back. Ryan Gravenberch could do with some competition at number six, and Darwin Nunez certainly needs replacing at the front of the ship.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has got some juggling to do, all right, and bringing De Bruyne over to Liverpool could be a fantastic, stop-gap sort of way to plug a hole and retain the giddy support levels that Alexander-Arnold will be taking with him over to the Santiago Bernabeu.
De Bruyne still has the requisite quality in his locker. As per Sofascore, he’s created 14 big chances in the league this year, despite starting only 17 times. Moreover, he’s averaging over two key passes per game.
This all adds substance to the argument for his arrival. De Bruyne has scored six goals and provided eight assists in all competitions this season, with ten of those 14 contributions coming since the start of the calendar year.
Alexander-Arnold might be leaving, but Liverpool will endure. With surgery required across a range of areas for the Reds, this would be the perfect way to add some new creativity, some Alexander-Arnold levels of creativity to Slot’s team and help him relocate Liverpool’s playmaking hub to a more conventional area in the middle of the park.
For Anfield simply won’t succeed in finding another player like Trent on the right side of the backline.
Dream Trent replacement: Liverpool make bid for "one of the best in Europe"
Liverpool could be about to end their hunt for a player who could fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
ByEthan LambMay 8, 2025
