Liverpool's squad planning has come under sharp focus after a summer that looked sensible on paper, yet now appears to have left a glaring weakness at right-back. Two defenders arrived, Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes and Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona , but neither was recruited as a specialist answer to one of the most demanding positions in the side.
That is why the criticism around Liverpool's transfer window feels increasingly justified. With Calvin Ramsay sent out on loan and Conor Bradley still sidelined by a serious knee injury, Jeremie Frimpong has been left as the only senior natural option. For a club with Liverpool's ambitions, that is a precarious place to be.
The concern has been put bluntly. Jamie Carragher said on Stick to Football: "Conor Bradley got his chance and got a bad injury. My problem with it is, he's a good young player who's done really well, but if someone gets a bad injury, he's not that good that you don't replace him.
"You'd wait for Trent to come back and you'd wait for Andy Robertson to come back. Unfortunately I don't think we should be waiting for Conor Bradley to come back. You go and buy a right-back because Frimpong isn't one.
"When Conor Bradley comes back, he's then got to fight for his place and I think that's fair; but this thing of 'we've got to wait for Conor Bradley to come back' – no. We're Liverpool, one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"You can't wait for Conor Bradley. We've got to get him back and good luck to him, but they've made a massive mistake."
It is difficult to argue with the central point. Bradley is a fine young full-back and his emergence brought real energy to Liverpool's right flank. Even so, planning a season around his recovery was always a risk.
Bradley's absence matters even more because return dates on serious injuries rarely tell the whole story. A player may be available again, but sharpness, timing and confidence can take several matches to recover fully. Liverpool cannot expect him to walk straight back in and perform at his highest level after such a long lay-off.
That leaves Frimpong carrying a heavy burden. He has quality going forward and can offer thrust in attacking areas, but his recent displays have not fully convinced in the defensive side of the role. That matters greatly in a Liverpool system where the right-back must balance width, recovery pace and positional discipline.
There is a wider issue too. Frimpong's own fitness record last season was not flawless, so reliance on him feels doubly risky. One setback and Liverpool could again be pushed towards awkward solutions, including using midfielders out of position, which solved little during parts of 2025/26.
This is where the frustration lies. Liverpool did strengthen in defence, but they did not address the most obvious vulnerability with enough precision. Araujo can cover in different roles, yet cover is not the same as having a specialist ready for the demands of Premier League football over a full campaign.
For more background on Liverpool's current squad balance, the original reporting can be found here.
Andoni Iraola now needs Frimpong to stay fit and raise his level quickly, because Liverpool's right-back depth looks worryingly thin. Bradley's return will help in time, but waiting for that moment was always a gamble. Right now, it looks like one Liverpool may regret for months.
