Four players who could REPLACE Trent Alexander-Arnold as vice-captain

Liverpool losing Trent Alexander-Arnold at the end of the season represents more than just a changing of the guard at right-back.

Of course, his absence will primarily be felt in the recruitment department, with a replacement having to be found to support, challenge and potentially supersede Conor Bradley. That much is all true.

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Since the homegrown full-back was slowly promoted from the academy at the first-team setup, his lack of a transfer fee will leave us with the challenge of finding room in the budget to bring someone else in.

If his decision to leave had been handled properly, then we would have had around £70m to spend, while using some of that figure on other areas in the squad, but no. The money will have to be plucked from thin air.

But away from the impact of losing Trent the right-back, it will eventually become apparent that we are losing Trent the vice-captain, and other members of the team will have to step up to cover him in that respect.

Here are our four picks for candidates that might be able to fill the defender's shoes.

Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian is one of the main leaders in the team. He cares incredibly deeply about the club and its success is something that mean's everything to him.

You need only to look back to the plea he made to the fans last season, promising an improvement in their efforts to secure a second Premier League title are the team dropped off.

His post to various social media platforms read: "We know that trophies are what count and we will do everything possible to make that happen next season. Our fans deserve it and we will fight like hell."

Now 11 months later, the Reds have won the league at a canter, with Salah's attacking returns underpinning the team's success under Arne Slot.

With four games to go, he has 33 goals and 23 assists. He will comfortably win the Premier League golden boot and playmaker awards, alongside PFA Player of the Year, but more history could await if he can notch two more goals and two more assists, to be the first person in English top-flight history to breach 30 goals and 20 assists in a season.

Having since penned a new two-year deal to extend his stay to 2027, there are few players as committed to Liverpool as much as Salah, who will forever be one of the club's all-time greats.

Alexis Mac Allister

The signs that Mac Allister could become a Steven Gerrard-esque player at Liverpool have already started to come through and it is incredibly exciting to witness his career on Merseyside unfold.

He has proven over the last two seasons that he can score from anywhere on the pitch, be it from the edge of the box or through a packed crowd at point-blank range, and his goals often come when the Reds most desperately need a breakthrough.

Furthermore, his performances on the pitch in the midfield have been consistently high, while he has never shied away from putting in the hards yards, whether it be assisting the attackers or dropping deep to help make the defence more compact.

The statement he wrote on social media after Liverpool's title win was confirmed was incredibly heartfelt and it is clear that he absolutely adores the club. His commitment will be unwavering.

We all know that he played a key role in Argentina's World Cup win back in 2022 and he is already a part of Liverpool's leadership group, having been added into the fold at the start of the season.

If Liverpool need someone to rely on, then there are few better candidates than Mac Allister.

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Alisson Becker

The Reds have often needed to rely on their world class goalkeeper to get themselves out of a hole, when the team comes up against an opposition that has found a way to get at the defence.

But every time we have needed him to step up, he has delivered. You only have to think back to the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie against PSG, where Alisson put on a masterclass.

He is one of the few players that will have won the Premier League title twice, and even though he is 32 years old, it is still unthinkable to imagine anyone else in between the goalposts moving forward.

Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to join the club this summer, after being bought by the club last season, but having been put on loan straight away at his former club Valencia.

And the only really problematic thing with his transfer is that he is expecting to become the first-choice goalkeeper straight away, which would leave Alisson on the sidelines.

The pair will battle it out and whoever performs most consistently will be given the No. 1 role, in terms of a leader on the pitch who can be relied upon, the Brazilian has showcased his qualities admirably over the past seven years.

Curtis Jones

The one remaining member of the leadership group is Andy Robertson, and I think it is only fair that I reason with you about why I haven't included him in this list.

Following a number of extremely underwhelming and quite frankly disastrous performances, the Scottish captain's future at the club is uncertain.

He may well stay at the club for next season before departing on a free transfer upon the expiration of his contract, but I can no longer look at him as a reliable asset.

Meanwhile, Jones has performed extraordinarily well this season, despite not necessarily being in most Liverpool fans' first choice midfields.

He works tirelessly on and off the ball and from next season, he will be one of our own Scouse players in the team, as Trent will depart and subsequently leave the vice-captain spot open.

During the aftermath of the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park earlier on this season, Jones noticed Abdoulaye Doucoure trying to wind-up the Liverpool fans, and he rushed over to put the Evertonian in his place.

Whether Liverpool fans rated Jones at the time or not, they all gained a new-found respect for his commitment to the Reds by making sure the piece of sh*thousery wasn't allowed to take place.

Of course, the context here is that he received a red card for his involvement in the incident, but if any homegrown player is to take on the responsibility of the vice-captaincy honour, then Jones would be a fitting appointment.

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