Liverpool have been told why the club has saved millions in the transfer market with the emergence of Conor Bradley.
The past few weeks have seen Bradley step in at right-back in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold, during the Reds vice-captain’s spell on the sidelines with a knee injury. Alexander-Arnold missed three games with a knee injury but made his return in the FA Cup against Norwich City.
Jurgen Klopp has opted to start Bradley at right-back in each of the last five games across three competitions, including both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham. Wednesday night saw Bradley star once again for Liverpool, this time in the Premier League against Chelsea.
The 20-year-old got two assists and one goal – his first in a Liverpool shirt – as he enjoyed an impressive performance at Anfield. The 4-1 victory over Chelsea has led to Jamie Carragher making a transfer claim about his former club.
The Reds legend is full of praise for Bradley, especially after his performance against Chelsea. Carragher went on to say why the recent form of the young right-back will mean that Klopp has saved the club millions in the transfer market by not needing to sign competition for Alexander-Arnold.
“He [Bradley] has saved Liverpool a lot of money because a lot of people, myself included, have been saying for a long time now with Trent Alexander-Arnold at right–back because he is so good, it’s very difficult to bring someone in as back-up,” Carragher told Sky Sports News. “Because they know they are not going to play and you have to still pay a lot of money to bring someone in.
“To bring someone through who is your own player saves you money, but actually the performances of Conor Bradley right now gives Jurgen Klopp a real dilemma for what he does at the weekend [against Arsenal]. And I think he will stick with Conor Bradley, based on the fact that he is in form and he is playing and got rhythm which is a phrase he uses quite a lot.
“Liverpool have needed back-up for Trent for a long time now, and they certainly have got that now, and it might be a little bit more than that. Another thing we always speak about with Trent is whether he eventually moves into midfield.
“If Conor Bradley keeps playing at the level that he is at, you have to start thinking how to get both players in the team because you can’t leave a player of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quality out because he is one of the best players in the Premier League. That then goes back to whether he [Alexander-Arnold] moves into midfield going forward.
“Conor Bradley is a young player, he has had a brilliant start, the rest of his career won’t go like this every week, there are lots of ups and downs as a footballer. He’s on a great ride at the moment with lots of momentum, and that’s why I think he should play at the weekend. He’s made a brilliant start to life at Liverpool.”
