Jurgen Klopp hints at Trent Alexander-Arnold position change with Liverpool transfer clearance

Jurgen Klopp speaking at Anfield after Liverpool’s Premier League win over Brentford

Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Liverpool’s summer recruitment will decide whether Trent Alexander-Arnold stays in his new position long-term.

Ever since Jurgen Klopp changed Alexander-Arnold’s stance ahead of Arsenal’s draw, Liverpool’s performance levels have skyrocketed. Alongside the impressive England international, the Reds are also unbeaten since their move.

Usually a right-back, Alexander-Arnold has enjoyed more positional freedom in recent Liverpool games, drifting in midfield and trying to win the ball back as much as possible.

Liverpool fell one point behind Manchester United in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Brentford at Anfield on Saturday night, and against Thomas Frank’s side Alexander-Arnold had more touches and made the most assists than any other player than anyone else’s court. Another impressive display resulted in Klopp being questioned about the likelihood of Alexander-Arnold remaining in the position, and while the Liverpool manager believes the new role suits the England international, he revealed his summer signing will lead the call.

“If it’s long-term, we’ll see it just depends on the new players we bring in,” he told Sky Sports after the match.

“It suits him very well and I think the opportunity he created for Darwin (Nunez) was special and he was strong defensively and he has yet to adapt to his role in this formation.

“We were a little passive in the last game, but other than that, Trent has played almost every minute in the last six games in a busy period with games every three days, so he’s excellent at what he’s doing.”

As ECHO reported last month, Liverpool had moved away from pursuing Bellingham after the extent of the necessary midfield overhaul over the summer became abundantly clear.

The Reds had made Bellingham a high priority transfer target for much of the season and Klopp had long been an admirer of the 19-year-old’s talent. However, Borussia Dortmund have put a price tag of over £100 on the England international.

Reds boss Klopp and the club’s recruiting team decided it would be better to spread the money across multiple signings rather than committing the majority to one big-money arrival.

The list of potential Liverpool targets is long as work continues behind the scenes. Chelsea duo Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher are considered interesting players, along with Brighton duo Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo. Ties also developed between the Reds and Sporting Lisbon’s Manuel Ugarte and Benfica’s Florentino Luis.