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da poker： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Former player Stan Collymore is excited about Liverpool’s prospects in the future due to the quality of the young players already at the club.
What did he say
Liverpool took a different approach to transfers this summer and with Jurgen Klopp not looking to add to his first-team squad, young players with the potential to develop were the focus of the club.
Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg arrived from Fulham and PEC Zwolle respectively, and will feature in Liverpool’s youth set-up until they are considered ready for the step-up to the senior squad.
The club has enjoyed success from its academy in recent years through the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Collymore is a big admirer of the right-back.
Speaking on his podcast, The Last Word with Stan Collymore , the former striker picked out three big prospects at the club: “The future is very bright for Liverpool.
Harry Wilson, he’s going to be a massive plus for them and I do wonder, thinking ahead, Harvey Elliott, a young teenager that’s gone to Liverpool, [along with] Harry Wilson – we’ve still got Trent Alexander-Arnold – that when those two guys hopefully go into the Liverpool team, Trent will be a veteran.”
Of the three only Alexander-Arnold has featured for Liverpool in a competitive game, but Wilson is edging closer to first-team involvement and if he does well on loan at Bournemouth this season – which he is currently with two goals in two games – then he could become a part of Klopp’s plans soon.
How important is promoting youth for Liverpool
Compared to clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal there have not been many Liverpool academy products who have worked their way into first-team contention in recent years, but Alexander-Arnold is a shining example of how well it could work.
Big things are expected of Elliott, too. Last season the 16-year-old became the youngest ever player to play in the Premier League after he tallied an impressive record of five goals and three assists in his 12 youth appearances for Fulham.
Klopp has proved he isn’t afraid to hand youth players a chance, last season Ki-Jana Hoever and Curtis Jones featured on the pitch whilst Rhian Brewster was included in the matchday squad against Barcelona and Tottenham in the Champions League.
Judging by their accomplishments so far Collymore is right to name the three players he did, and if Wilson and Elliott emulate the attitude shown by Alexander-Arnold they may not be too far behind him.
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