When Jeremie Frimpong pulled on a Liverpool shirt for the first time, few expected him to announce himself with a goal straight out of a video game. Yet in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace, the £30 million signing chipped home from an angle so tight it registered just 0.01 xG, and in doing so, sent a clear message: Liverpool’s right flank has entered a new era.

For years, Liverpool fans grew accustomed to seeing their right-back launch raking passes over the top of opposition defences, turning defence into attack in an instant. That right-back, of course, was Trent Alexander-Arnold.

But with Alexander-Arnold no longer at the club, Frimpong has stepped in with a very different skill set. In Sunday’s Community Shield, beyond his outrageous goal, the Dutch international impressed with his tireless running and constant width. Unlike Alexander-Arnold, who often drifted into central areas to orchestrate play, Frimpong hugged the touchline in both attack and defence, stretching the pitch to breaking point.

Alexander-Arnold thrived as a deep-lying playmaker, slicing teams open with pinpoint crosses, switches of play, and line-breaking passes. While this brought huge success, it also created a recurring problem: when Mohamed Salah was double-marked, there was often no other threat on the right, limiting Liverpool’s attacking variety.

Frimpong changes that equation entirely. His pace and direct ball-carrying create overloads on the flank, forcing defenders into uncomfortable positions and opening space for Salah, and while Alexander-Arnold was criticised for lapses in concentration and recovery speed, Frimpong’s blistering pace allows him to take risks going forward, safe in the knowledge he can still win footraces on the counter.

For Premier League wingers known for their pace, power, and trickery, Frimpong will be a nightmare match-up. For Liverpool, he offers freshness, unpredictability, and a new way to hurt opponents.

With Frimpong flying down the right, Liverpool gain not just a defender or a creator, but a constant source of chaos for opponents. His pace stretches defences; his energy lifts the crowd, and his directness frees Salah to be even deadlier. If his Community Shield cameo was a glimpse of what’s to come, the Kop could be singing his name long into another title chase.