Liverpool Eyes Givairo Read as Right-Back Solution

Liverpool’s hunt for a long-term answer at right-back has led them back to a familiar name – and they are not alone.

Givairo Read, the 20-year-old Feyenoord full-back lighting up the Eredivisie, remains firmly on Liverpool’s radar after a blistering start to the season. Arsenal and Manchester City are also circling, setting up the prospect of a three-way Premier League tug of war for one of Dutch football’s most eye-catching young defenders.

Feyenoord starlet forcing Europe to take notice

Read has been central to Feyenoord’s unbeaten league start. Not just solid. Decisive.

From right-back, he has already produced five assists in seven Eredivisie appearances, a return that would be impressive for a winger, let alone a defender still learning the game at senior level. That output has only intensified the spotlight on him and accelerated talk of a move across the North Sea.

This is not a new story for English clubs. Read came close to switching to the Premier League in the summer. Nottingham Forest lodged a bid, while Everton pushed hard and explored a deal with the added pull of Roma, with both clubs under the Friedkin Group umbrella. Interest was serious. A transfer never materialised. Read stayed in the Netherlands and simply picked up where he left off.

Behind the scenes, Liverpool, Arsenal and City all tracked him during that window and have not backed off. If anything, his start to the campaign has sharpened their focus.

Liverpool’s right-back puzzle

At Anfield, the attraction is obvious. Liverpool’s right side of defence is a live issue.

Jeremie Frimpong has struggled to find rhythm this season, his form dipping just as Liverpool look to build a new defensive core. That inconsistency has pushed Andoni Iraola into a bold reshuffle: Barcelona loanee Ronald Araujo has started the last three league games at right-back.

Araujo has impressed and, on current form, has taken ownership of the role. But everyone knows his best position is in the centre. If he continues to excel, the conversation may quickly shift from stop-gap full-back to Virgil van Dijk’s eventual successor at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.

That leaves Liverpool still searching for a natural, long-term right-back. Read, with his blend of attacking thrust and defensive promise, is viewed as a serious candidate to fill that gap.

January on the horizon

Sources indicate that a January move for Read is firmly on the table. The key question is who blinks first.

Liverpool, Arsenal and City are all monitoring, all impressed, all wary of letting a rival steal a march. Any deal will hinge on one of them turning admiration into a formal offer and convincing Feyenoord – and the player – that the timing is right.

At 20, Read is approaching a crucial phase. A Premier League switch now would be a major leap, both in expectation and intensity. Stay and grow in Rotterdam, or jump early to one of England’s giants? The decision will shape the next chapter of his career.

For the moment, the focus remains on his performances in the Eredivisie. Those five assists are not just padding his stats; they are keeping his name front and centre in recruitment meetings in Liverpool, north London and Manchester.

Stage set with Oranje youth

Read’s next audition comes in national colours. He has been called up to the Netherlands under-21 squad for their upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Norway, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Those games offer another platform, another set of data points for scouts who already know his name by heart. Liverpool will watch. Arsenal will watch. Manchester City will watch.

If he keeps delivering, the question won’t be whether he comes to the Premier League – but which badge he pulls over his head when he does.