Sunderland star touted as viable Liverpool transfer option amid confirmed Anfield exit news

Sunderland full-back Trai Hume could be a viable replacement for exit-bound Liverpool talisman Trent Alexander-Arnold, according to a stats expert.

Despite securing a second Premier League title with the Reds this season, the England international confirmed in an emotional statement last week that he will be leaving his boyhood club to join Spanish giants Real Madrid this summer.

And with Liverpool presumably considering the prospect of bringing in defensive reinforcements as a consequence, Hume has been touted as one possible option for Arne Slot’s squad.

Who could replace Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool?

Reacting to the news of Alexander-Arnold’s looming exit, the i Paper spoke to stats expert and Analytics FC chief executive Alex Stewart, who detailed a number of names he believes could prove themselves to be worthy successors to the Liverpool star - including Sunderland stalwart Hume.

He said: “The first step is to create a profile that highlights what Trent brings to the role. This means focusing on line-breaking passes, through balls, diagonals and switches, and receiving and passing in the half-spaces. Replacing Trent is extremely hard: his skillset is unusual and his passing ability elite, but by finding players doing the same kinds of things at a similar level, we can make a good assessment of potential replacements.

“This means homing in on players operating at the right level for Liverpool: the players need to come from elite leagues or the top end of secondary leagues – those outside Europe’s top five, essentially. In addition, we factored [in] minutes played – at least 1,000 in the last 12 months – and age. Liverpool tend not to buy players over 25 unless there is a real need, Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa being the only examples since 2023.”

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Quoting Stewart at various points, the article goes on to state: “Monaco’s Vanderson ‘is defensively very strong, while his transitional passing, long passing, and switches are elite among Ligue 1 full-backs’, Stewart says. A rawer option is Martim Fernandes, a 19-year-old at Porto who has ‘the right mix of skills and a very high ceiling’.

“Even further left-field is Carlos Sanchez at Pachuca, in Mexico’s top flight. A right-back who also plays central midfield. ‘An astute one to watch.’ One closer to home, fellow 23-year-old Trai Hume, ‘is showing real promise at Championship level’ at Sunderland.”

Stewart’s top pick, however, is Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza, who has also been linked to Aston Villa in recent times. The pundit added: “He’s an excellent fit, brings much of the quality of passing, except perhaps in transitions, and adds a bit more defensively than Trent, as well as being able to fill in at centre-back or even left-back if needed.”

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