Surprise talent WINNING race to be Liverpool first choice

One surprise talent is winning the race to be Liverpool's first-choice option. Few saw this coming over the summer.

Liverpool spent a lot of money over the summer as they reshaped their squad. An awful lot of money - more than the Reds have ever spent in the transfer window and by some way.

Over £400m was spent on new stars, while they did help out with over £200m in sales to go along with it all. But this was a massive undertaking as Liverpool overhauled a title-winning squad.

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It saw new full-backs come in on either side, as well as a completely reshaped group of goalkeepers behind Alisson Becker. The attack is perhaps the most notable new area - Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both broke Liverpool’s transfer record over the summer, while Hugo Ekitiké wasn’t exactly cheap.

But despite the spend and despite the plans, one area of the pitch is heading in a surprising direction. The new signing isn’t winning the race to be first-choice.

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Conor Bradley to the top

Jeremie Frimpong arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £29m this summer. Liverpool essentially bought him as a squad replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Frimpong fits the bill wonderfully in that regard. He's a right-back/wing-back who ticks the homegrown box.

He also wasn't too expensive given his experience and quality. The release clause helped make that happen.

But as we approach the second international break of the campaign, there's a sense that he has work to do in order to be Liverpool's right-back. Conor Bradley is winning that race, certainly this early in the season.

Tuesday against Southampton demonstrated that. Frimpong had a poor game by his standards, struggling to find his place in the team.

That's largely to be expected, of course - he has joined a completely new team, after all. These things can take time.

But Liverpool do look noticeably sharper with Bradley at right-back. His running, particularly with Mo Salah in front of him, opens up space incredibly well for the team, and he's a bit more composed right now.

Again, this isn't a massive shock, even if it's a bit of a surprise that the more experienced £29m signing isn't the standout option. But Bradley knows this team and is excelling in it, continuing his development at the right rate.

We'd say he's winning the race to be Liverpool's starting right-back. Frimpong has some work to do if he wants to be the man in the role - something that's not exactly easy against a younger player.

For now, though, Bradley is the one we want to see starting. It's his position to lose. Now he just needs to stay fit.

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