Impressive’ Liverpool player has announced himself as a new forward option for Arne Slot this season

Liverpool are living through one of the most dramatic transformations in recent memory and the eyes of the football world are firmly fixed on Anfield. The noise of a summer dominated by transfer sagas has only just begun to settle but even now the stories around Arne Slot’s men continue to grow louder. After a £125million move that shook England, Alexander Isak is finally a Liverpool player. He has come in at the very end of the window after a chase that dragged on for months, with fans left hanging on every whisper and report until the club finally got their man. Now Slot finds himself in a place where few Liverpool managers have been before: he has a wealth of attacking options, five senior forwards who can all lay claim to a place in the team. But with luxury comes problems. A manager may dream of depth, but depth also brings questions, decisions and rivalries, and the hardest one of all will arrive when Mohamed Salah leaves for AFCON later this season.

Salah has been Liverpool’s heartbeat since 2017. His goals, his consistency, his winning mentality — all of them have shaped the modern Liverpool era. He is the Egyptian King who delivered Champions League glory, who fired the Reds to a long-awaited Premier League title, and who still remains one of the most feared forwards in Europe even at 33. But time does not wait for anyone and the calendar has marked December in red ink. That is the month when Salah will fly off to represent his nation, leaving behind a hole that no Liverpool fan wants to think about. Slot knows it, Richard Hughes the sporting director knows it, and the Anfield faithful know it too. For the first time in years, Liverpool must prepare for weeks without Salah in the side.

On paper, Federico Chiesa looked like the natural solution. The Italian, a man once courted by Juventus and adored for his work ethic, seemed perfect to step in on the wing when Salah departs. He has pace, power and experience in big games. Yet football is rarely that simple. To the surprise of many, Chiesa was left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad, a decision that sent shockwaves through the fanbase. What was Slot planning? Was Chiesa no longer in his thoughts? Had his injuries caught up with him or was there another explanation? Nobody outside the inner circle knew the answer, but the uncertainty meant the question of who truly replaces Salah grew even more urgent.

It was then, in the middle of this uncertainty, that a new name began to rise into the conversation. A name that fans had spoken of before, but not in the same breath as Salah. Conor Bradley. The Northern Irish youngster who had quietly been climbing through the Liverpool ranks suddenly announced himself as more than just a promising right-back. For years he had been seen as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s understudy, a hard-working defender with energy to burn. But against Luxembourg, in an international match that many expected to be routine, Bradley showed another side of himself. Deployed on the right wing for Northern Ireland, he looked alive. He didn’t just fill the role; he owned it. He pressed, he dribbled, he passed, and though he didn’t score or assist, his entire performance screamed of potential. It wasn’t just Northern Ireland who noticed. Back in England, Liverpool supporters began whispering: could Bradley be the one to cover Salah during AFCON?

It sounds almost strange. A defender stepping into the shoes of one of the greatest forwards in Premier League history. Yet football is a game of moments and Bradley has never shied away from one. He has the attacking instincts that make him more than just a right-back. He sees passes others don’t, he runs into spaces others ignore, and when the chance falls to him, he strikes the ball with composure. Chris Sutton once described him as “impressive” and those words now echo louder than ever. Impressive might not even do him justice anymore. He is a footballer standing on the edge of reinvention.

But the story cannot be told without looking at the bigger picture. If Bradley does move forward to play on the wing, then who guards the right-back spot? Liverpool’s solution is Jeremie Frimpong, another arrival whose reputation as one of the best attacking full-backs in Europe came with him from Bayer Leverkusen. Under Xabi Alonso he had been unstoppable, delivering goals and assists in numbers usually reserved for strikers. In two seasons he had contributed to 43 goals, a record that stunned fans and pundits alike. His presence at Liverpool was supposed to strengthen the team in multiple ways, and his ability to attack makes him one of the most dangerous outlets in the squad. But fate can be cruel, and as things stand, Frimpong is once again sidelined with injury. It leaves Liverpool looking towards the ever-reliable Joe Gomez, a man who has filled in almost everywhere across the defence in his years at the club. Gomez is not flashy, he does not bring fireworks, but he brings solidity, professionalism, and the kind of consistency managers dream about. If Frimpong cannot step in at right-back, Gomez is ready to stand tall.

This balance of options is exactly why Slot decided against signing another winger this summer. Some fans questioned it at the time, wondering why Liverpool weren’t chasing yet another forward when the rumours of Salah’s departure for AFCON were common knowledge. But Slot is not a man who makes decisions without reason. He looked at his squad and he saw versatility. He saw Isak, a world-class striker whose ability to drop deep could open spaces for others. He saw Ekitike, hungry and desperate to prove himself after his move. He saw Chiesa, experienced and dangerous when fit. He saw Bradley, a hidden card that could be played in the right circumstances. And he saw Frimpong, whose recovery from injury would eventually give him another attacking option from deep. It was a calculated gamble, but one that might just pay off.

The AFCON absence of Salah is not just a tactical question. It is emotional. For eight years he has been the man Liverpool turned to when they needed a goal, when they needed hope, when they needed magic. The fans have sung his name through the highest highs and the lowest lows. To imagine Anfield without Salah on the pitch feels almost unthinkable. Yet football forces clubs to adapt, and Salah’s journey with Egypt will test Liverpool’s adaptability like never before. This is not just about one player stepping in. It is about an entire squad rising to ensure that his absence does not derail their season.

Isak and Ekitike are already locked in their own duel for the number nine spot. Both want to lead the line, both believe they are the main man, and both have the price tags and reputations to back it up. Slot must choose carefully, because whoever is picked will feel the weight of expectation immediately. Salah’s absence could provide one of them with more opportunities, but it could also open the door for Bradley to step up alongside them. Imagine Anfield roaring as a 21-year-old academy product takes to the wing in place of Salah. The symbolism alone would electrify the supporters. It would be a reminder that Liverpool’s strength is not only in its spending power but in its ability to nurture and trust its own.

Bradley’s story makes the possibility even more powerful. From Larne in Northern Ireland, he grew up dreaming of pulling on the famous red shirt. He worked his way through the youth system, earning respect with his discipline and commitment. He never complained when chances were few, he never doubted his ability. And now, just when the team needs someone to rise, he might be the man to answer. These are the moments that turn players into legends at Anfield. Not every legend starts with a headline transfer. Some start with quiet determination and a breakthrough when nobody expects it.

The months ahead will tell us everything. Will Chiesa reclaim his role and silence the doubts about his fitness? Will Frimpong recover in time to remind fans why he was so highly rated? Will Isak live up to his massive transfer fee and establish himself as the focal point of Slot’s Liverpool? And most importantly, will Conor Bradley step into Salah’s place and prove that the next generation is ready to carry the torch? These are the questions that define a season, and for Liverpool they are questions that must be answered quickly.

Arne Slot has inherited more than just a football team. He has inherited a legacy, a fanbase hungry for glory, and a squad in transition. The presence of Salah ensures that the team still has its talisman, but the inevitability of his absence — whether temporary for AFCON or permanent in the future — hangs over everything. Slot’s decisions in the coming weeks and months will not just shape this season. They will shape the Liverpool of tomorrow.

One thing is certain: Liverpool will not be short of drama. Every game, every lineup, every substitution will carry meaning. Fans will debate, pundits will analyse, and rivals will watch closely. The story of Salah’s stand-in is not just a subplot; it is one of the defining narratives of the campaign. Whether it is Bradley, Chiesa, Frimpong or even a tactical reshuffle that surprises everyone, the identity of Salah’s replacement will be remembered. It is a moment of truth for the new Liverpool under Arne Slot, a test of resilience, creativity and belief.

And perhaps, just perhaps, this is where Conor Bradley writes his name into Liverpool history. Not as a right-back. Not as a utility player. But as the young man who stood up when Salah was gone and showed the world that Liverpool’s future was still burning bright.