Jeremie Frimpong is set to miss his 26th game for Liverpool through injury when the Reds travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday, as speculation over his Anfield future intensifies.
The wing-back has only ever made 26 Premier League appearances for the club since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025, with just 27 of his 43 outings for the club coming from the start. Currently sidelined with a muscle injury, it is the fifth different lay-off he has endured during less than 18 months on Merseyside.
Injury-plagued Liverpool career
Frimpong's Liverpool career started brightly, with a goal on his debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley. However, his first injury, suffered on his Premier League debut against AFC Bournemouth, left him playing catch-up.
He was then at fault for the Eagles' winner when the two sides met again at Selhurst Park last September, a game that signalled the start of the wheels coming off for Arne Slot at Anfield. The Dutchman subtly called out his compatriot publicly that day, and it has been an ongoing struggle ever since. The biggest disappointment came last summer when he failed to make the Netherlands' World Cup squad.
In truth, he has rarely looked the right fit for the Reds or for Premier League football, with his injury woes undermining his efforts to prove himself at the club his family supports. The sight of him limping off against Brentford last month, only six minutes after coming on, was the fourth time he has been forced off injured during his brief Liverpool career.
Replacement for Alexander-Arnold and Salah
His arrival was something of an opportunistic swoop from Liverpool, activating his £29.5m release clause to help cover the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The fact that he also counted as homegrown, given his time in the Manchester City academy, was an added bonus, as was his ability to play further forward given that Mohamed Salah would be departing for the Africa Cup of Nations mid-season.
But Frimpong is a wing-back, having shone in the position during his time with Leverkusen. The Reds do not line up in such a way, with the Dutchman neither an ideal fit at right-back or right-wing. Handed a poisoned chalice as a half-hearted replacement for Alexander-Arnold and Salah, a return of three goals and three assists demonstrates his shortcomings in comparison to the legendary pair.
To date, his arrival looks like a calculated risk that has not paid off. Now being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, with Middle Eastern reports claiming interest from Al-Hilal, supporters would not be too disappointed if such a move came to fruition.
Uncertain future at Anfield
Perhaps, if Conor Bradley were not a long-term absentee, there would not be such qualms about Frimpong. Instead, he would be seen as just a versatile squad option. But too many times he has been left wanting when opportunity has come his way, though Ronald Araujo had already usurped him at right-back following a below-par start to the season prior to his latest setback.
Yet his biggest crime remains simply not being Alexander-Arnold, who himself continues to be linked with a potential return to Anfield amid his own struggles at Real Madrid. It remains to be seen if Liverpool will look to sign Araujo permanently, boasting a £47.5m purchase option in his loan contract from Barcelona, while Joe Gomez's long-term future is also uncertain given that he is out of contract at the end of the season.
With Bradley said to be slowly closing in on a return to team training, perhaps soon we will have the answer. Should the Northern Irishman successfully navigate his return, it would leave Frimpong further down the pecking order. Having already been linked with a move to Barcelona prior to the latest reports of Saudi Arabian interest, it would not be a surprise if this is a case of no smoke without fire.
Winwin claims that Frimpong himself is open to a switch to the Middle East where former Liverpool sporting director, Richard Hughes, would look to snap him up for the second time after making his own move to Al-Hilal. Given the Reds took advantage of a release clause to sign the Dutchman, they should be confident of making their money back despite his Anfield woes.
There are still eight weeks to go until the January transfer window opens, and the wing-back remains under contract on Merseyside until 2030. There is no need for either party to rush any decision. But if Frimpong wishes to salvage his Liverpool career, he is running out of lives. When back from injury after the international break, he will have to grab any opportunity with both hands if he is to stand any chance of turning the tide on a Reds stint that many supporters have already written off.
