Several Liverpool teenagers threaten to make the breakthrough under new head coach Arne Slot next season.
Liverpool are looking to sign Lille defender Leny Yoro during the summer transfer window.
However, the club recognises the gravity of Real Madrid’s interest in the 18-year-old, with the Spanish club presently the obvious favourites to sign him this summer.
Nonetheless, Liverpool’s interest in a young talent like Yoro demonstrates the club’s clear plan to build for the future under Arne Slot, and the Dutchman will arrive at Anfield to discover a number of outstanding young players already in his squad.
Jarell Quansah had a breakout season last year, but who will follow in his footsteps as Liverpool’s next breakthrough star? Our writers have their say.
Ian Doyle: Liverpool has been fortunate in recent seasons in that when opportunities have arisen for their young players in the first squad, they have usually delivered.
Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley answered the call this season, while Stefan Bajcetic did the same the year before. Before that, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Neco Williams, and, farther back, Trent Alexander-Arnold all seized the opportunity to not only help the senior team but also improve their chances of a top-level career.
It speaks a lot about Liverpool’s injury woes this season that nine Academy graduates have made their first-team debuts. However, a player who made his first Reds appearance over two years ago will undoubtedly be the breakout sensation next season.
Indeed, if it hadn’t been for his personal fitness concerns, Bobby Clark would almost definitely have sealed his position in the senior squad for good during the most recent season. Clark missed more than four months at the start of the season as well as the final weeks, but he appeared in 23 matchday squads in between.
Highlights included a cameo from the bench in the FA Cup win over Arsenal, his first Premier League start at Nottingham Forest, his first FA Cup assist against Southampton, and his debut goal in the Europa League victory over Sparta Prague.
Clark, who turned 19 in February, is still in the early stages of his career. Few would be surprised if he became a regular in and around Liverpool’s first squad next season. He truly is that good.
Theo Squires: If Bobby Clark’s season hadn’t been cut short by injury, we’d definitely be talking about him in the same way as Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley have. Jurgen Klopp already deemed him a full-fledged first-team player, despite the fact that we’ve just seen glimpses of his brilliance for Liverpool so far.
The midfielder had to wait until the FA Cup match against Arsenal to make his first senior game of the season, and he was limited to only 12 matches last season due to injuries. Despite this, he went on to achieve his first goal, first assist, first Premier League start, European debut, and maiden winner’s medal in a memorable breakthrough season. This is only the beginning.
Clark, who was only 19, was unfortunate to miss out on the Europa League group stages and the early rounds of the League Cup due to an injury. But when he returned to fitness, he made up for lost time, catching the eye against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium to help Liverpool win the League Cup. Next season, he will undoubtedly take those next steps.
Some may believe the Reds need a new midfielder following Thiago Alcantara’s exit, despite the Spaniard making only one substitute appearance in the final 18 months of his Liverpool tenure. However, in Clark, the club already has a ready-made substitute.
Slot may look forward to unleashing the talented teenager, who, like Quansah and Bradley before him, did not appear out of place in the Premier League. While a return to the Champions League may limit the game time available to a handful of Reds rookies, Clark is eager to make an impression nevertheless.
Joe Rimmer: Anyone who witnessed the Carabao Cup final can attest to Liverpool’s young talent.
But they have a slightly overlooked (though certainly not within the club) teenager who will undoubtedly step up next season – though where he does so remains to be determined.
Kaide Gordon will not be with Liverpool’s under-21s next season.
Still only 19, the winger is ready for more regular first-team action, and if he isn’t in Liverpool’s senior squad, expect him to flourish on loan at another club.
Gordon’s potential is great, and it should not be forgotten how highly regarded he was when he first appeared under Wayne Rooney as a 16-year-old prodigy. Liverpool beat Manchester United to sign him for a sum that might increase to about £3 million, and he quickly impressed Jurgen Klopp.
Gordon made four appearances in the 2021/22 season and impressed in the Carabao Cup semi-final at Arsenal. Then injury hit, and he missed over 18 months of playing due to a variety of issues.
He returned to make three senior games last season, impressing the coaching staff as he improved near the conclusion of the season. More can be predicted next season.
