Liverpool's Urgent Search for a Right Flank Successor
Liverpool stand at a familiar crossroads, but this summer the stakes feel sharper. A new manager, a shifting attack, and a transfer market that gets more expensive by the day. If they are serious about chasing the Premier League title again, the margin for hesitation is vanishing fast.
A right flank with no clear heir
Anfield has lived off the certainty of Mohamed Salah for years. That certainty is gone. The hope of a late U-turn from the Egyptian has faded, and Liverpool’s right wing now looks like the most fragile part of the squad.
On paper, there are options. Federico Chiesa and Jeremie Frimpong are the names currently tied to that side of the pitch, but Chiesa’s own future at Anfield is uncertain and Frimpong is more of a hybrid wide threat than a classic right-sided forward. Victor Munoz can operate there, too, yet his best work comes from the left, where he can open the pitch and attack inside.
This is not a structure. It’s a patchwork.
Andoni Iraola, like Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot before him, wants intensity, verticality and width, but his nuances are clear. He favours forwards who can break the last line, stretch defences, then drift wide to link play – the way Eli Junior Kroupi did so effectively across the 2025–26 season. Central options such as Hugo Ekitike would suit that profile; Alexander Isak, even more so.
Out wide, though, Iraola demands more than just a runner. His wingers must both create and finish. That is where the conversation around Francisco Trincao suddenly becomes urgent.
Trincao: the window that’s closing
Liverpool have tracked Trincao for a long time. The Portugal international ticks boxes that are not easy to fill in a single player: left-footed, productive, comfortable on the right, and able to both score and supply. Last season alone, he produced 13 goals and 18 assists – numbers that place him firmly in the “Salah replacement” bracket stylistically, if not in status.
The problem? Liverpool are not the only ones at the table, and they may be running out of time to even sit down.
According to A Bola, Al-Ahli are deep into negotiations with Sporting Lisbon for the 27-year-old. The Saudi club, led on the recruitment side by Portuguese sporting director Rui Pedro Braz, are pushing hard but pushing low. Sporting have set their price between €50m and €60m. Al-Ahli’s opening move, even without a formal written offer, effectively placed €45m on the table.
Sporting said no.
Talks are ongoing, described as slower than Atletico Madrid’s pursuit of Morten Hjulmand, but still alive and expected to be difficult. The gap is just €5m between what Al-Ahli are currently floating and the bottom of Sporting’s range. In a market this inflated, that is not a chasm. It is an invitation.
Al-Ahli have already spent €22m on attacking midfielder Eduard Spertsyan from Krasnodar, yet their interest in Trincao remains “genuine”, as reported. They want him as well. They are not going away.
And that is the issue for Liverpool. A Bola suggest the Premier League club may only have until the end of the week to seriously enter the race before the Saudi side close in on an agreement.
Liverpool’s attacking identity on the line
This is not just about one winger. It is about what Liverpool want their attack to be under Iraola.
Do they double down on pace and chaos, leaning on runners who can stretch teams but offer less subtlety in the final third? Or do they move towards a front line where every wide player is also a playmaker, capable of threading passes as well as finishing moves?
Trincao fits the latter vision almost perfectly. A left-footed right winger, comfortable receiving between the lines, sharp enough to attack the box, and productive enough to carry a significant creative load. In a post-Salah era, those qualities are not a luxury. They are close to non-negotiable.
The market, though, is unforgiving. Premier League clubs are all chasing similar profiles, and every day that passes pushes prices higher. Liverpool have already drawn up a long shortlist, but a shortlist means nothing without decisive action.
Sporting have set their terms. Al-Ahli are edging closer. The gap is narrow, the timeframe tighter still.
If Liverpool truly see Trincao as the near-ideal successor on that right flank, this is the week they find out what their new project is prepared to pay for a cornerstone.
