Liverpool are showing signs of renewed life under Andoni Iraola, who has brought a sharper, more direct style back to Anfield following the club’s struggles under Arne Slot.
Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo have been central to that early promise, with Gakpo providing all three of the £125m striker’s goals so far this season.
Despite the optimism surrounding Iraola’s appointment, questions are mounting over one of the club’s recent signings and whether he can justify his transfer fee.
Jeremie Frimpong, signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5m in May 2025, is drawing uncomfortable parallels with Naby Keita, arguably the biggest transfer blunder of the FSG era.
Keita arrived from RB Leipzig in 2018 for £52m with a reputation as a midfielder with world-class potential, but persistent injuries prevented him from ever reaching that ceiling at Anfield.
The Guinean international never managed to hit 1,400 minutes in a single Premier League season, a damning reflection of how severely his fitness issues limited his time on the pitch.
Frimpong is beginning to raise similar concerns, having spent several long stretches in the treatment room last season and struggling to impose himself when available to Iraola.
With Conor Bradley sidelined since January with a knee injury, the Dutchman had a clear opportunity to establish himself as Liverpool’s first-choice right back, but he has failed to take it.
He was targeted and bested during successive 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, before being dropped in favour of Ronald Araujo for the victory over Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
The speed and attacking threat that made Frimpong an exciting prospect when he was recruited have not been enough to paper over the defensive deficiencies that were already a concern at the time of his signing.
Richard Hughes, who is no longer Liverpool’s sporting director, worked alongside Slot to secure the deal, with many supporters viewing the club’s recent transfer record as a contributing factor in their title-winning side being dismantled.
It would be unfair to write Frimpong off entirely, and Liverpool’s history with Bundesliga imports is not uniformly bleak, with Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, and Bobby Firmino all making successful transitions to the Premier League.
Hugo Ekitike also showed real promise in the final third before an Achilles injury cut short what had been an encouraging debut season on Merseyside.
However, Frimpong’s combination of fitness concerns and defensive vulnerabilities means the pressure on him to perform is growing with every passing week under Iraola’s management.
Unless he can string together a consistent run of games and demonstrate the defensive reliability the role demands, the Keita comparison may prove difficult to shake off.