Liverpool star Jeremie Frimpong explains reason he lied to his own dad about Anfield move

Jeremie Frimpong hid his move to Liverpool from his own father - but the cover-up was coordinated for a wholesome purpose. Frimpong was the first senior signing through the door at Anfield this summer after the Reds triggered a £29.5million release clause to lure him away from Bayer Leverkusen.

The Dutchman has big shoes to fill, with the right-back spot that used to belong to Trent Alexander-Arnold set to be his next season. Frimpong does have some experience of playing football on these shores, having spent nine years in Manchester City's youth teams and a further two north of the border at Celtic.

But 2025/26 will be his first taste of full-blooded Premier League action as he prepares to turn out for the reigning champions. For Frimpong, the move to Merseyside was emotional for more reasons than one.

The Amsterdam-born talent is the son of a Liverpool fan, and he admits that he tried to hide the move from his dad in order to reveal it as a surprise once it was all signed and sealed. However, his cover was blown when reports about the early-window transfer began circulating online.

"[My dad] is a Liverpool fan," Frimpong told . "So when the rumours were coming out I was like, 'Oh dad, it's not true, it's not true'. All the family members wanted to surprise him.

"When it got too much, when Fabrizio [Romano] started talking, then obviously my dad's not stupid, he was like, 'Hey, Jeremie, is it true?'.

"I had to travel, and my dad was at my house and he was asking too many questions so I was like, 'Dad, I'm going to go to Liverpool to do my medical' and he's like, 'No! really?'. I was like, 'Yeah dad, I'm going to go play for your team', and he was just like, 'No way'. It was a great reaction from him!"

Frimpong put up superb numbers in the Bundesliga, scoring five goals and laying on five assists last campaign, and finding the net a staggering 14 times across all competitions the season before that.

But for his Anfield stint to be a success, he may have to get used to playing in a new role. The Netherlands international starred as an all-action wing-back with full license to bomb forward under Xabi Alonso, whereas Liverpool boss Arne Slot used an orthodox back-four throughout his first season in England.