Touchpad broke after battery repair

Hi all

I recently decided to revive the hardware of my dell inspiron 7570. I started off by replacing the battery, which was on its last legs. I got the bigger 56Wh battery from the official dell website (I didnt want to risk getting shady batteries as it powers literally everything). Also took the time to fully unscrew everything and clean out some dust with a toothbrush and pressurized co2.

Not too long after the battery repair, the touchpad started behaving weirdly. Moving the mouse didn't work. Clicking didn't work. Next boot, clicking worked, but not moving the mouse. Not too long after, nothing worked.

I pretty much eliminated the possibility of it being a software issue. I run linux and checked dmesg and journal for any issues. The kernel simply does not recognize it even has a touchpad anymore. Libinput does not register any input from the touchpad either. I tried different kernel versions and booted a whole different linux version (fedora 42) from a live USB. No avail.

I proceeded to buy a new touchpad. No avail. I bought a new ribbon cable that connects the touchpad to the motherboard. Nothing still.

At this point, I fear I may have simply destroyed the connector on the motherboard, somehow? My questions are as follows:

1. What may have caused this, so short after the battery repair?
2. How can I further investigate the issue?
3. Is it worth it still to buy a new motherboard, or is my laptop simply giving out, and reviving is a lost cause?
4. If getting a new MB is worth it (and won't run into the same issue), what are some trustworthy sites?