Arne Slot reveals Mo Salah is a surprise reason behind £29m Liverpool transfer

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has revealed there are numerous reasons why the Reds signed Jeremie Frimpong - and one of them is to replace Mo Salah during Africa Cup of Nations.

The Reds landed Jeremie Frimpong for £29m from Bayer Leverkusen after the departure of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Many believe the Dutch utility man is to challenge Conor Bradley for the full-back role but Slot believes he has more versatility.

That will help when Egypt star Salah heads to Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations which runs from December 21 to January 18 and could see him miss up to six Premier League games.

Slot said: “We definitely thought about that. We brought in Jeremie Frimpong because we think he can play as a right full-back but I also think and feel he can play as a right-winger.

“I, we, did think about the fact that we're going to miss Mo, I think as a maximum for six games – but that's quite a lot in the Premier League, especially if you see how well he did last season.

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Sesko to Man Utd timeline, Chelsea agree Garnacho terms, Isak and Nunez latest

READ MORE: Arne Slot provides Liverpool centre-back transfer update ahead of meeting with Marc Guehi

“Signing Jeremie Frimpong was for multiple reasons but one of them was also that he could replace Mo if Mo is not there. There are other options for me to replace Mo with as well – but Jeremie is definitely one of them.”

Frimpong will start at right-back tomorrow against Crystal Palace with Bradley absent through injury. A number of their other summer signings are also expected to be involved.

Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez are all expected to be in the squad at Wembley. But one man who will not join them is Alexander Isak - who very much remains a Newcastle player despite his transfer request.

Will Liverpool win the Community Shield vs Crystal Palace? Share your predictions in the comments below

Slot remained silent over a move but suggested that Liverpool were still active in the market. He said: "I think, we think, we already have a lot of attacking power in our team when I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong, who can play as a right-winger, and Florian Wirtz, who can play as a left-winger.

"I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my current squad. But as always, as a club we are always looking at the chances in the market – but that can also be in the midfield or in the last line."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.