Jamie Carragher just spotted perfect Jude Bellingham alternative Liverpool could unlock for $32m

After an inconsistent season from Liverpool, it is clear that this summer will be pivotal for Jürgen Klopp as he looks to get the club back to challenging for honors. The Reds boss may want to heed the advice of a club great when it comes to his next steps.

There is no doubt that the decision to move Trent Alexander-Arnold into a hybrid ‘inverted full-back’ role paid dividends for Liverpool during the final two months of the season, with the homegrown star having looked transformed following the tactical tweak. During the first 27 games of the season, the 24-year-old had managed just three goal involvements before notching eight in as many matches as the campaign came to a close.

The Reds academy graduate had shouldered criticism during the earlier months of the season but it was clear that his revival was central to the team’s resurgence in form, with Klopp’s side going unbeaten during the final 11 fixtures. As a result, one would expect that the German boss will be keen to stick with the formation which brought such success during the run-in.

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With Liverpool needing several reinforcements in midfield this summer, however, this could also represent the perfect time for Alexander-Arnold to move into a permanent role in the center of the park, as opposed to still performing his duties at full-back when his team is out of possession. For all of the positives to come out of the Reds’ strong conclusion to the campaign, one could argue that the jury is still out when it comes to the formation from a defensive point of view.

Granted, evidence from the final stretch of games would suggest that the rewards outweigh the risks involved with playing in this way but it does not seem beyond the realms of possibility that Klopp would look to potentially invest in a more traditional right-back instead and essentially make Alexander-Arnold his talisman in midfield. One right-back that would certainly fit the bill in terms of his quality and pedigree is Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard, who has been linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena in recent weeks, as per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg.

The Bundesliga transfers expert revealed that Liverpool would be ‘an option’ available to the World Cup winner, with the 27-year-old also being monitored by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City and Inter Milan. Given the 48-time France international’s ability and experience, Bayern’s apparent valuation of upwards of $32m (£26m/€30m) would likely represent a relative snip for another elite European club.

With four Bundesliga titles to his name, alongside a Champions League win back in 2020, the former Stuttgart defender would surely be a major coup for Liverpool and could well hold the key to essentially converting Alexander-Arnold into a center-midfielder. Intriguingly, even if Liverpool were to persist with the ‘inverted full-back’ system, one could also see Pavard being comfortable performing this role with the West Derby-born star moving into a more advanced position, or as a rotation option with the latter.

Essentially, this would be the realization of the scenario Jamie Carragher described while speaking to Redmen TV this week, with the Liverpool legend having suggested that Klopp could eventually buy another right-back in order to allow Alexander-Arnold to move into midfield. He said: “I think his body language when he’s in midfield, compared to when he’s just playing in defense, is completely different. Feels like I’m watching a different player.

“Some of the passes he plays, no matter who we buy, if we bought Jude Bellingham, how much more could he do that Trent Alexander-Arnold does in midfield? When Liverpool are on the ball, whoever you buy, whatever you spend, they can’t do more than Trent. I think another season I’d be of the mind, let’s buy a right-back and put him in midfield, because this kid is too good to not be the center of this team.”

When one considers Pavard’s skill set, it is clear that he would be a real asset to a team wanting to play with this formation, with his passing range and defensive capabilities abundantly clear. On top of this, Carragher may be correct in his summation that Alexander-Arnold could well move into midfield permanently in the next couple of years.

By signing Pavard, Klopp would perhaps just accelerate this process, while also ensuring that he secures the services of one of the best right-backs in the business in the process. The opportunity to bring in a player of the Frenchman’s experience does not come along often and he could well prove to be an astute purchase if he can also enable Alexander-Arnold to move into midfield permanently.