Over the weekend there have been big developments in Liverpool’s chase for Jeremie Frimpong. Fabrizio Romano and Paul Joyce have both announced that Liverpool will be paying the £30 million release clause to get the Dutch full back out of Leverkusen.
Frimpong completed his medical on Monday, after flying over on Sunday.
De ja Vu?
Two years ago, Liverpool completed the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton. The Argentine joined the Reds after his release clause was triggered.
The clause in his contract was also around that £30 million mark. Another similarity with the deals is the time they were both done at. Mac Allister joined not long after the season finished, Frimpong looks as if he will join the Reds before the season has even been completed.
Mac Allister has become one of, if not the best, midfielder in the Premier League. He has the ability to find line breaking passes, to be able to dictate the flow of the game and make them late surging runs into the box to bring that goalscoring edge to his game.
He was the most important signing of Klopp’s final haul in 2023, and now under Arne Slot, he fits in even more.
The Dutch right back has been a revelation for Leverkusen. In his time in Germany, Frimpong has won the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, reached the final of the Europa league and competed for the title once again this year.
He has grown exponentially under the tutelage of former Red Xabi Alonso, who will also be leaving Leverkusen.
Alonso’s 3-4-2-1, system has gotten the best out of Frimpong and his attacking talents. He has 14 goal involvements in all competitions, 9 of which are assists, 2 more than the man leaving Liverpool this summer.
A big role to play
A big talking point for some LFC fans, stems from what I just mentioned, he has been utilized in that wing-back role for Leverkusen, allowing for him to bomb on and create chaos on the right wing, he is often covered in the defensive third by the right centre-back, something that he will not have as much of in Slot’s 4-2-3-1.
However, his defensive numbers are not something to turn your nose up at, he was dribbled past just 13 times throughout this season, he won 25 of the 33 tackles he attempted and when 1 on 1 he completed 55% of his challenges against the dribblers.
An on-field parallel between Mac Allister and Frimpong, is the versatility they offer in their respective roles.
Mac Allister is an effective defensive lying midfielder, an even better box to box player and with his technical attributes, can fill in at the attacking midfield role.
Frimpong, on the other hand, has the ability to play anywhere on the right hand side of the pitch.
Down the line, this signing will make rival fans sit and wonder why LFC had absolutely no trouble in signing the Former Man City player.
The same way we look at the Mac Allister signing and In today’s market, the £30 million fee for players of Mac Allister and Frimpong’s qualities is a bargain, no matter how you look at it.