Liverpool recently announced on their socials that they have signed Aberdeen’s young full-back Calvin Ramsay for a reported fee of around £6.5 million.
On their website, Liverpool noted:
"Liverpool FC have completed the signing of Scotland U21 international Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen, subject to international clearance. The right-back joins the Reds on a long-term contract after passing a medical and finalising the transfer at the AXA Training Centre.(Via Liverpoolfc.com)"
But who is Trent’s newest competition at Anfield?
Along with Rangers’ Nathan Patterson, Calvin Ramsey is one of Scotland’s most promising right-backs.
The eighteen-year-old Ramsey joined Aberdeen at the age of six and made his way to the first team after playing for all the youth teams. He even operated as a central midfielder for the under-10s and the under-15s.
His first season for Aberdeen’s first team caught the eye of many Premier League clubs including Liverpool, Manchester City, Leicester City and West Ham, but it was the Reds who emerged victorious in the race.
According to his stats, Calvin Ramsey is very good offensively and shows a lot of potential going forward. He averages around 5.44 successful attacking actions per 90.
He averages around 5.24 dribbles per 90, putting him in the top echelon of the Scottish Premiership. In comparison, Trent Alexander-Arnold averages around 1.23, while Cancelo averages around 1.57 (of course, they play in a tougher league).
He also has a 69.23% success rate in dribbles, which is more than both Trent and Robertson (58% and 48% respectively).
He is also a great ball carrier, averaging around 3.33 progressive runs per 90. However, he does need to improve his defensive part of the game. He averaged only around 53% success rate in defensive duels.
Standing at 183 cm, his aerial ability gives him an extra boost and with experience, he will only get better at this part of his game.
His biggest strength lies in his crossing. While he is a volume crosser (averaging around 5.34 crosses per 90), he does need to increase his cross accuracy, which lies at a low 28.3%.
He is capable of delivering crosses from various areas on the field. Like Trent, he likes to occupy the area behind the winger and is very dangerous from this side of the field. With Darwin Nunez and Diego Jota’s aerial ability, this will be a great asset to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side.
His ability to spot the attacker and play a cutback pass is also an important weapon in his arsenal. He also frequently uses his weak foot by cutting inside and lofting crosses from it, something we see Trent also doing often.
Liverpool’s New Right-Back Shares Similarities to Others in the Premier League
He is, like Andy Robertson, very good at switching play. His variation in crosses reminds us of another Scottish full-back by the name of Kieran Tierney.
Now while his defensive side still needs work, his aggression and intensity make a huge difference on the field. He is always ready to pressure, an attribute that will help him adapt to “Geggenpress” easily.
Using his height, as we talked about Marc Roca in another post, he can defend the far post when the centre-backs are caught in the middle of all the action.
His positioning and recognising patterns in different defensive phases still need work as we constantly see him getting caught out of position.
All-in-all, under Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Jurgen Klopp’s tutelage he is destined to become a solid full-back in the upcoming seasons.
How do you think Liverpool’s third signing after Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho impact the squad?
All stats are taken from Fbref.com.