Mark Lawrenson believes that Conor Bradley gives a readymade substitute for the right-back place at Liverpool if Trent Alexander-Arnold is to depart for Actual Madrid.
The LaLiga and Champions League winners have their eyes set on considered one of our greatest gamers, with the 26-year-old having been closely linked with a transfer away from Anfield with no imminent contract extension in sight.
Lawrenson claims that whereas it’d be a ‘unhappy day’ if the vice-captain is to depart for the Bernabeu, it wouldn’t be the tip of the world as he thinks the Reds have a substitute already lined up.
The Liverpool legend informed SportsCasting (through TEAMtalk): “I feel Trent will go to Actual Madrid to go and play with Jude Bellingham, and he’d be allowed to play wherever he needed in that crew.
“I can see it taking place, I actually hope it doesn’t although. He’s a well-educated man and he’ll be fascinated about going to Madrid and studying the language, incomes good cash, what’s there to not like?
“I wouldn’t say Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are all irreplaceable. I feel Conor Bradley has the makings of an excellent full-back if Trent have been to depart. He’s proven that he’s prepared to begin extra for the primary crew and already has a variety of good shows to level to.”
Bradley has made 34 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions since his senior debut within the 2021/22 season.
Bradley is an effective participant, however he’s not Alexander-Arnold
First issues first – Liverpool’s second-choice right-back is probably nearly as good a bench choice at that place as any membership can get. He stuffed in admirably for Trent final season, most notably within the Carabao Cup remaining when a really younger Reds aspect beat Chelsea 1-0 to win the trophy.
His one objective for the primary crew additionally got here towards the Blues in a 4-1 win within the Premier League in January, with the academy graduate having seven assists to his identify. He additionally impressed in the course of the latest worldwide break, captaining Northern Eire for the primary time.
Nonetheless, Bradley will not be even near the participant that Trent is. The latter is out vice-captain and, by the age of 21, he had performed in two Champions League finals after which went on to win the Premier League the next yr, constantly being our greatest inventive outlet.
With all due respect to our deputy right-back, who’s presently 21, it’s very troublesome to see him reaching the world-class ranges set by his positional teammate.
We don’t doubt that Bradley will hold getting higher and higher and is usually a dependable participant, however changing our quantity 66 on a long-term foundation is a large job contemplating what the Scouser brings to the desk.
One other level to notice is that Trent was allowed to develop and make errors as his senior debut got here in 2016, which was Jurgen Klopp’s first full season with the Reds, who weren’t title contenders at the moment and the then-teenager was changing Nathaniel Clyne, which with all due respect isn’t as large as job as what his successor would face.
Not solely may Bradley must try to emulate his vice-captain, however he’d achieve this at a time when the Reds are anticipated to win main silverare, sothere might be way more stress on him as a succession act.
Filling the Scouser’s footwear shall be extraordinarily troublesome and the best-case state of affairs would nonetheless be to persuade Trent to increase his deal. Fortunately, Fabrizio Romano lately reported that the 26-year-old’s precedence is to stay along with his boyhood membership.
