Fabrizio Romano has said that Liverpool boast a ‘huge talent’ within their squad who’s set to be entrusted as the ‘next big thing’ at Anfield.
The Reds have been left reeling by the news on Tuesday that Trent Alexander-Arnold is reportedly close to agreeing a free transfer to Real Madrid, with his contract on Merseyside expiring in three months’ time.
That’d leave Conor Bradley as the only natural senior right-back in Arne Slot’s squad, and rumours of a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong have resurfaced again in recent days.
However, Romano believes that Liverpool will put their faith in the Northern Ireland international to step up as their starting right-back, just as Trent did when supplanting Nathaniel Clyne in 2017.
What has Romano said about Bradley?
Speaking on the Here We Go podcast, the journalist outlined: “In terms of right-back, what I’m hearing is that they are very happy with Conor Bradley. They believe that Conor Bradley can be part of this future Liverpool squad. They believe he’s a huge talent.
“The responsibility of being the starting right-back at Liverpool is going to be completely different, but they feel this boy has everything in place in order to become an important player for Arne Slot.
“I was there at Anfield, Liverpool-Real Madrid game in November, I think, November, December, I don’t remember. There was a tackle from Conor Bradley and the reaction from the crowd, the reaction from Anfield, I think was the perfect start of a new story.
“That moment shows how Liverpool as a club, but also as a fan base, is ready to trust this boy, is ready to trust Conor Bradley. Then let’s see what they do on the market, but Conor Bradley internally is considered the next big thing at right-back and they fully trust him for the future.”
Bradley is an excellent player but Liverpool still need another right-back
Do we believe that Bradley is a viable option as Liverpool’s starting right-back? Absolutely.
The 21-year-old has stepped up commendably when deputising for Trent in the past (Romano rightly referenced that famous challenge on Kylian Mbappe at Anfield this season), and while the responsibility of holding down the position on a long-term basis brings a different challenge, we believe our number 84 would be up to it.
However, the one thing which seems likeliest to hold him back is his worrying propensity for injury. He’s already missed 47 matches since the start of the 2023/24 campaign with various issues, and his international boss Michael O’Neill recently hinted that his focus is ‘on trying to get fit for the end of the season’.
Liverpool would be taking a massive risk by going into next term with the talented but brittle Bradley as their only natural senior right-back, a far from ideal state of affairs even with Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez capable of deputising in that position.
We therefore expect the Reds to be serious about recruiting another option for that part of the squad, whether that’s someone to have as backup (similar to the acquisition of Kostas Tsimikas in 2020) or to vie with the Northern Ireland gem for a starting berth.
