Liverpool quickly moved to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold and announced the signing of Jeremie Frimpong on the same day that his departure to Real Madrid was confirmed. They implement their left -wing pursuit plan with a similar efficiency.
There is of course a big difference that, as things are, Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth will arrive to compete with Andy Robertson instead of replacing him. But the need for fresh energy at Left Back is clear when he starts the last year of his contract.
On 31, Robertson shown signs of delay after eight years of brilliant service. His looting runs on the left flank became less frequent last season when he took on a more conservative role. Following data shows falling numbers for sprints and top speed.
He may not be unique in the same way as Alexander-Arnold, whose vision and passing skills are more typical of an elite central midfielder than a full-back. But replacing the qualities that Robertson gave at his best is still a huge task.
In addition to his tireless endurance and defensive nous, there was a level of creativity and incision not far away from his more celebrated teammate. Robertson is only five places behind Alexander-Arnold for opportunities created by Premier League players since his debut.
He is only eight assists shortage of the total of 64 of Alexander-Arnold in the same time frame, which makes him fifth in a list led by Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah as one of only two defenders in the top 25.
His figures probably deserve more recognition, but it is easy to see why Liverpool has settled on Kerkez, fresh from an excellent season with Bournemouth, as his long -term replacement.
The Hungary International, signed on the Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in 2023, is ten years younger than Robertson at 21, with his best years for him. Andoni Iraola provided insight into the steps he already had in conversation with Sky Sports last month.
“I think Milos took a big step from last season,” said Bournemouth's head coach. “He came here with all his energy, with all his hunger to show his level.
“But especially mentally, he is now much more focused for the full 95 or 100 minutes. It is more reliable.”
The reliability of Kerkez can be seen in the fact that he was one of only six Outfield players who started to pick up every Premier League match last season, pick up more minutes than anyone in Bournemouth and plays a major role in the best top season in the history of the club.
“He still has the volume offensive,” Iraola continued. “He arrives a lot in attacking areas. But I think he has improved in the last third part. If you compare his figures from last season with this, that is clear. He has done very well to make these steps at such a young age.”
Kerkez contributed five assists and two goals in the Premier League last season, based on a lonely assist in his first campaign. His figures for touches, passing and crossing also rose considerably when he embraced the challenge to take care of greater attacking responsibility.
Kerkez became the primary offensive exhaust valve of Bournemouth, with only Nottingham Forest who led a higher percentage through their left flank under Premier League parties.
All this offers encouragement to Liverpool, who will also have noticed the stylistic similarities between Kerkez and the man that he could soon replace, especially because it was their sports director, Richard Hughes, who signed him for Bournemouth.
Kerkez is an exceptional athlete with a level of energy comparable to that of Robertson in his Prime. Following data shows that he is among the top five players of the Premier League for both sprints and remotely covered last term, with impressive robustness.
Just as important, however, is the way his energy is spent.
Just like Robertson, Kerkez excels in achieving the name rule and creating opportunities through cut-backs and crosses, as the most memorable is shown with his assists for David Brooks and Antoine Semenyo against Everton and Manchester City last season respectively.
According to Genieiq tracking data, Kerkez has made more overlapping runs than any other Premier League player, with 213.
Interestingly, he offered a similar level of support on the inside of his winger as the outside. In addition to the ranking of TOP in the division for overlapping runs, Kerkez was the first in terms of underraps, making it almost 50 percent more than any other player at 137.
The variety of Kerkez movement makes him difficult to stop and it helps that, like Robertson, he is able to deliver diagonally from deeper areas and from the name rule, as he did with the beautiful cross for Marcus Tavernier's opening goal in Bournemouth's 2-2 draw in March in March.
After driving on the left flank, that assist came deep into half of Bournemouth after an interception, and emphasized the ball -treating ability that still includes one of his biggest strengths.
According to Opta, only 12 Premier League players continued the ball with Carries than Kerkez last season. It is worth noting that its average transport of 87.4 m per 90 minutes was considerably higher than that of Robertson at 76.1 m per 90 minutes.
That ability to travel quickly and directly with the ball became an important weapon for a side of Bournemouth that bore a huge threat in transition. It could be even more valuable for Liverpool, given the emphasis that is placed on counterattacks by Arne Slot, whose team ranked the top for both shots and goals of fast breaks in the past term.
It's just another way in which he could help them. Of course the task of replacing Robertson, and everything he offered Liverpool over the years would be a discouraging for every player. But there cannot be much better equipped for the track than Milos Kerkez.