Liverpool have hit the jackpot with “special” £77m star in the making

The January switch window formally slammed shut on Monday and Liverpool didn’t make a single signing to bolster their squad through the winter market.

Arne Slot‘s aspect are at the moment prime of the Premier League and have already secured a spot within the final 16 of the Champions League, which reveals that their present crew is already adequate to compete within the main competitions.

The Dutchman and the membership, in the end, determined to keep away from any mid-season additions, which might have disrupted the group, and might now absolutely give attention to the gamers that they do have within the second half of the season.

Liverpool beat high-flying Bournemouth 2-0 away from residence within the Premier League on the weekend, thanks to 2 objectives from Mohamed Salah, and their largest success in January might properly have been conserving gamers just like the Egypt worldwide.

Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all out of contract on the finish of the season and the Reds resisted any potential temptations to money in on the trio earlier than presumably dropping them for nothing.

Actual Madrid reportedly made an offer of £20m to signal Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool, however it was not sufficient to tempt the Premier League leaders into promoting him.

Liverpool’s most useful gamers

Regardless of his contract expiring in the summertime, the England worldwide is at the moment valued at €75m (£62m) by Transfermarkt, which is considerably greater than what the LaLiga giants placed on the desk for him final month.

That completely illustrates simply how precious the right-back is to the Reds as a result of he’s the third-most valuable player within the squad on Transfermarkt, even along with his deal up on the finish of the season.

Whereas, van Dijk and Salah – who flip 34 and 33 respectively this summer time – each rank exterior of the top-five most useful gamers on the membership, with values of £23m and £46m respectively.

Alexander-Arnold remains to be within the prime years of his profession, on the age of 26, and that could be why his worth has remained so excessive, compared to van Dijk and Salah’s, regardless of his ongoing contract state of affairs.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, solely Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz are at the moment price greater than the academy graduate, who might discover himself at Actual Madrid on a free switch in the summertime if the Reds don’t agree an extension with him.

If Slot and the membership are unable to pin him all the way down to a long-term deal at Anfield, the Dutch head coach might hit the jackpot by unearthing a brand new star in his successor – Conor Bradley.

Conor Bradley’s present market worth

On the time of writing (05/02/2025), Transfermarkt at the moment values the Northern Eire worldwide at €20m (£17m). Solely two outfield gamers within the squad – Wataro Endo and Tyler Morton – are price much less on the positioning.

Which means that Bradley is likely one of the least precious gamers within the Liverpool squad at this second in time, however that doesn’t account for his potential to enhance and develop over time to come back.

On the age of 21, the proficient teenager nonetheless has loads of years left forward of him to develop as a participant to enhance his performances on the pitch and, consequently, enhance his market worth for the Reds.

Since arising by way of the academy, Bradley has racked up 46 first-team appearances for the Premier League giants, after spending the 2022/23 marketing campaign on mortgage with Bolton Wanderers, and has confirmed himself to be a succesful performer.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, Jurgen Klopp introduced him into the aspect final season and handed him loads of alternatives to shine, with ten begins within the top-flight.

Bradley caught the attention with 4 direct purpose contributions and virtually 4 tackles and interceptions per recreation on common, because the teenager impressed at each ends of the pitch.

Why Conor Bradley is a £77m star within the making

Slot might, now, hit gold with the 21-year-old ace because the long-term alternative for Alexander-Arnold at Anfield as a result of he’s a possible £77m star within the making.

As per FBref, Manchester Metropolis full-back Josko Gvardiol is likely one of the most related full-backs to Bradley over the past twelve months within the Males’s large 5 leagues and European competitions, based mostly on their statistics.

The Cityzens reportedly paid a fee of £77m to signal the versatile defender, who can play at centre-back or left-back, from German aspect RB Leipzig, which speaks to how highly-rated the Croatia worldwide is.

Gvardiol, who has scored five goals in 23 appearances within the Premier League this season, has began 22 occasions within the top-flight underneath Pep Guardiola this time period, which reveals that the Spanish boss has loads of belief in him.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, each Bradley and the Croatian dynamo are attack-minded full-backs who need to push on to make an influence on the prime finish of the pitch.

The Northern Irishman, who was as soon as described as being “really special” by worldwide boss Michael O’Neill, has played 14 times within the Premier League and the Champions League this season and has achieved sufficient, statistically, within the first half of the present marketing campaign and the second half of final time period to be in comparison with Gvardiol.

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This means that Slot has a dominant attacking pressure within the making at right-back and the supervisor can, subsequently, unearth his personal £77m star within the wake of Alexander-Arnold’s attainable exit by making Bradley his first-choice at right-back.