We gave Liverpool £50m to buy Trent Alexander-Arnold replacement - this is who they signed
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There are three major contract decisions lying in wait for Liverpool as they look to build on what has been an overwhelmingly positive start to life under new head coach Arne Slot.
Sunday’s home win against Chelsea means the Reds moved back to the top of the Premier League table ahead of next weekend’s crucial visit to title rivals Arsenal. The win has already provoked some debate over whether Slot’s men can be viewed as genuine title contenders and whether their impressive start to the season can be extended over the coming weeks and months. As much as on-field issues are at the forefront of their thinking, the contract situations surrounding Virgil Van Dijk, Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold will also require attention as the trio move into the final six months of their current deals in January.
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Hide AdThere have been some suggestions Van Dijk and Salah could well extend their time at Anfield and Slot addressed the situation ahead of the win over Chelsea by insisting Alexander-Arnold is not phased by the situation.
He said: "I think you underestimate our players. These players are used to being linked with all the top clubs on a daily basis, if they have contracts or not. If you think they're disturbed by this interest then you don't do justice to how strong they are mentally. This is part of our job. This is part of this world we are living in. You just focus on what you have to do. Maybe if you're 17 or 18 years of age it could be difficult for you. But Trent has won the league, has won the Champions League; Virgil and Mo the same. I don't think that is a problem for them to perform and that's what we see at the moment because they're playing really well."
But what could lie ahead? We fired up Football Manager 2024 and used the editor to update the Reds staff and squad to their present state before fast-forwarding to next summer and moving Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid on a free transfer. In the interests of clarity, Van Dijk and Salah did pen new deals, meaning the England defender was the only one of the trio to depart the club. Liverpool’s transfer budget allowed them to spend £50m and Arne Slot wasted little time in replacing the Reds academy product.
Who did Liverpool sign to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Now, although Slot was able to spend up to £50m on a right-back, the Reds boss replaced one outgoing free agent with an incoming free transfer addition. Despite being linked with several big name signings including Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento, Real Madrid veteran Dani Carvajal and Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich, the Reds opted to move for Inter Milan star Denzel Dumfries after he failed to agree a new deal with the Serie A giants. Liverpool were far from the only suitors for the Netherlands international after the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain all showed a desire to land one of the most in-demand free agents of the summer.
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Hide AdHow did Denzel Dumfries fare during his first season with Liverpool?
Unsurprisingly, Dumfries was immediately handed a starting place in Slot’s lineup alongside the Reds’ only other summer signing, Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres. He took his place in a front three also containing Luis Diaz and Mo Salah, who had agreed a new three-year deal at Anfield. The opening month of the season brought Premier League wins against the likes of Brentford, Fulham and Aston Villa as Slot’s men made a strong start to his second season.
However, the form slipped throughout September as Dumfries saw red in a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United. A Bruno Fernandes penalty was the difference between the two sides and that instigated a six-game run where the Reds failed to pick up a win. Dumfries came back into the side after serving a three-match ban and his return marked a return to form as Slot’s men returning to winning ways with an impressive 4-1 win at Newcastle that saw the Dutch international create goals for Salah and Gyokeres. By the time the new year had rolled around, Dumfries had already made 26 appearances in all competitions, providing five assists and grabbing his first goal for the club in a Boxing Day win at newly promoted Leeds United.
A first piece of silverware arrived in February when Dumfries was part of the Liverpool side that claimed a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup Final - but thoughts of a domestic double came to an end with an FA Cup fourth round defeat at Arsenal as Dumfries gave away a penalty that was converted by Martin Odegaard to give the Gunners a 2-1 win. The league campaign continued to gather pace - although not enough to pace to keep up with runaway champions Manchester City, who ended the campaign nine points clear of second placed Arsenal, with Liverpool a further point adrift.
You will have noticed there has been no mention of European football so far - and that is because we wanted to save the best until last. After breezing through the league stage by claiming wins against the likes of FC Copenhagen, Benfica, AC Milan and Barcelona, Liverpool produced some eye-catching displays in the knockout rounds to overcome Paris Saint-Germain, Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan. Dumfries played his part in helping the Reds keep a clean sheet in a stalemate in the away leg of the semi-final at Manchester City before setting up Diaz for the only goal of the second leg.
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Hide AdHowever, dreams of yet another Champions League Final win were ended by a 2-0 loss against a Real Madrid containing Trent Alexander-Arnold as a Kylian Mbappe brace gave the La Liga champions a comfortable win under the Wembley arch.
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