Liverpool should be kicking itself for allowing things to get this far, but the reality is unavoidable: a little over two months from now, Trent Alexander-Arnold will be free to talk to Real Madrid. It was reckless to reach this stage, but it would be similarly foolish now to not be thinking about alternatives .
The departure of Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer is undoubtedly still the worst-case scenario rather than the inevitable outcome. With all he has said about the club down the years , a move to Real Madrid is far from a foregone conclusion.
But at the same time, Liverpool cannot ignore the possibility that it could lose a generational talent next summer. It would be unfair to Arne Slot not to plan for that eventuality.
That doesn't necessarily have to be a transfer plan. It may be that the club genuinely has confidence that Conor Bradley is of a sufficient level to take over from Alexander-Arnold — it's a substitution Slot has used regularly in his early months at the club, suggesting he is a fan of the Northern Irishman.
But Bradley, for all his strengths, currently seems more like a right-sided equivalent to peak Andy Robertson . He bombs up and down the touchline, offering a wicked delivery along with defensive diligence; these are valuable traits, but there's a concern that Liverpool would miss the all-round playmaking of Alexander-Arnold.
In truth, it's not clear that anyone in world football could replicate what the number 66 brings to the table. But here are three options Liverpool could consider:
Pedro Porro (Spurs)
While FSG are unlikely to relish the prospect of negotiating with Daniel Levy, who would presumably prefer to avoid a domestic sale, Pedro Porro is right at the top of the list of potential alternatives. And with Real Madrid also thought to be an admirer, Liverpool would at least have one less rival suitor to worry about in the event that Alexander-Arnold went to the Bernabeu.
At 25, Porro is slightly younger than Alexander-Arnold, but also entering his peak years. Liverpool would be limiting the extent to which it would need to brace for an inevitable drop in standards and output from right-back.
Stylistically, it doesn't get too much better. Porro is still more of a classic full-back than Alexander-Arnold, but FBref lists the Spurs man as the 26-year-old's most similar player.
Both are hugely progressive passers who are unafraid to take risks. Over the last year, Alexander-Arnold ranks in the 98th percentile of positional peers in Europe's top five leagues for expected assists, but Porro is not too far behind in the 92nd percentile.
Neither are shy when it comes to pulling the trigger either, ranking in the top 10 per cent for expected goals. Defensively, Porro gets through a little more volume, although that might say more about Spurs than the player.
Speaking of which, the Spurs system may well be a pretty useful proving ground for an Alexander-Arnold successor. Pep Guardiola noted Ange Postecoglou's offensive use of full-backs last year:
“I would say my full-backs go inside, but their full-backs go into the pockets," Guardiola said. "They are attacking midfielders. I’ve never seen it before. I never used that. It belongs absolutely to him."
Alexander-Arnold's own inversions have been a touch less pronounced under Slot. But his heir will still need to be comfortable pulling the strings from all kinds of pockets of space.
Aaron Hickey (Brentford)
Staying in the Premier League, Liverpool could turn to Brentford's Aaron Hickey as a possible solution. His injury history will be an immediate worry, with the full-back expected to be sidelined for "most" of the current campaign with a hamstring problem .
That follows on from a previous issue, with the upshot being that he has not played since October 2023. However, he has previously done enough to interest the Manchester clubs , and could be worth a look.
At 22, Hickey would offer something of a hard reset for Liverpool, giving Slot a player who could theoretically be with the team throughout a full cycle. He's also got the versatility to play on either side, so the Reds could potentially sign him without making a firm decision either way on the shape of Bradley's future role.
Having said that, Bradley is a useful yardstick for any full-back signing. It's far from clear that Hickey would be an upgrade — and Liverpool already has an injury-prone Scot on the books in the shape of Calvin Ramsay, who is a stylistically closer match to Alexander-Arnold.
Hickey's name is bound to come up over the coming weeks. But there are better options out there.
Miguel Gutierrez (Girona)
A somewhat left-field choice, in more ways than one. Miguel Gutierrez is a left-footed left-back, so his arrival as an Alexander-Arnold "replacement" would prompt a reshuffle.
However, it's not beyond the realms of possibility. As we said earlier, Bradley has shades of peak Robertson. And Robertson himself is getting to an age where Liverpool needs to think about successors.
As such, Slot could essentially invert the classic Jurgen Klopp full-back blueprint. Bradley could be the tireless runner down the right, with a more multi-dimensional creative threat coming from the left.
Despite not being a right-back, Gutierrez makes it into the FBref top 10 most similar players to Alexander-Arnold. He also features high on Robertson's list.
He impressed last season for Girona. The City Football Group club ultimately finished third, just four points behind Barcelona, with Gutierrez regularly inverting to help the build-up through the middle .
In the event that Liverpool does decide to sign a creative left-back and use Bradley on the right, other names can come into the conversation too. Rayan Ait-Nouri is one to have been linked, for instance.
Liverpool.com says: Porro would be the least underwhelming of these options, but the list just goes to show the unique qualities of Alexander-Arnold. Nobody really feels like a worthy replacement.
Thinking about how much Liverpool would have to pay for someone like Porro, it's obvious that the most financially prudent move is to find a way to tie Alexander-Arnold down to fresh terms. There obviously has to be an upper limit somewhere, but given his value to the club, he should effectively be able to name his price.
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